


when two worlds collide

by cherry_topaz



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Toni Topaz, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Lesbian Cheryl Blossom, M/M, Mentioned Southside Serpents Gang, Other, Soft Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Toni Topaz Backstory, cheryl and toni hate each other lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 46,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26977015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherry_topaz/pseuds/cherry_topaz
Summary: cheryl blossom has always worked hard to live up to her family's high expectations she lives on the northside and comes from a family raised upon elegance and class.but what happens when southside high burns down and she is forced to share the halls of riverdale high with none other than the southside serpent, toni topaz.long story short .. this is the story of how cheryl and toni metthis time toni will be receiving an actual backstory because she was clearly robbed
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Chuck Clayton & Reggie Mantle, Fangs Fogarty/Kevin Keller, Fangs Fogarty/Sweet Pea, Josie McCoy/Sweet Pea
Comments: 24
Kudos: 63





	1. southside high burns to ashes

**Author's Note:**

> i just had surgery and i'm stuck in the house bored so i decided to write a fic about how choni first came to be
> 
>   
> disclaimer:i do not own any of these characters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning- suicide & abuse

riverdale was always known as the perfect town that everyone loved, that was before the day jason blossom was murdered. on July 4th, cheryl blossom, and her twin brother jason decided to take a boat ride across sweetwater river. jason the son of penelope and clifford blossom one of the most well-respected and wealthy families that reside in riverdale, was reported missing after he did not return home from his boating trip with his sister. 

his sister cheryl, reported to the sheriff and the town that after their boat accidentally tipped over jason never rose from the water. rescue dogs, towns people and a full on search party searched the perimeter of sweet water river for jason's body. after two weeks of constant searching, no evidence, clues, or even a lead as to where jason might be, the sheriff and the town eventually gave up. 

a week after the search for jason blossom was called off, his body was found washed up on the shores of sweet water river. it was later discovered that jason did not drown in the lake as though his sister told it, jason was found with a bullet wound in the center of his forehead between his red brows. it was later discovered that clifford blossom murdered his own son in broad daylight because jason had no intention of taking over his father's drug business. 

the night clifford blossom was going to be taken into custody, his body was found hanging in the barn of thronhill. when news broke way to everyone in the town that not only did clifford kill his jason blossom, but that he also took his own life, penelope and cheryl blossom had to endure the whispers and stares that came from everyone within the town. 

of course, penelope blossom would take her anger out on her daughter, in efforts to make cheryl pay for her father's sins because he was no longer here and someone had to take responsibility for what he did in the dark. cheryl eventually had to get used to the trauma that her mother constantly inflicted upon her, there was no one to protect her anymore. now that her brother jason was buried six feet under in some grainy dirt, cheryl had no one to save her. she was all alone again. 

"cheryl!" the raven girl's voice low and filled with frustration. "yes veronica," the red head says avoiding eye contact because she can tell just by her voice that she is upset about something. not that cheryl actually cares, she just doesn't feel like pretending like she does. "are you really not paying attention to us right now?" she folds her arms, her eyes filled with disbelief and anger.

the 4 girls betty, veronica, josie, and cheryl are all sitting in a booth at pops under the light red shade of flickering lights. strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate milkshakes with candy cane colored straws resting against the rim of the glass. fresh still dripping with grease curly fries lay on top of a red basket that sits in the middle of the table. typically cheryl would spend a thursday night cooped up in her room probably curled up in her 4 poster bed while reading the amityville horror. the redhead loves a good murder mystery book.

but somehow the girls managed to drag her out from her spacious yet empty home and into a booth at pop's so that they could spend time with one another outside of school and cheerleading practice. pop's diner is their typical hangout place, they would spend all their time outside of school here, drinking milkshakes until their stomachs eventually toss and turn because of all the dairy products. they would gossip about what was going on in the town, or about which boys at riverdale high they have their hearts set out on.

but cheryl wasn't doing much talking tonight. while the girls spoke about guys, cheryl was more so staring blanky into space while her thoughts took over her and her attention at the moment. so what if sometimes she decides to escape from the real world and travel to this fantasy world she has created inside her head. the world where her brother is still alive, her family is still together and her life is still _somewhat_ normal. cheryl knows that it's not healthy to always disconnect from her surroundings and the people around her but it's the only thing that brings her a sense of peace. the only way she really feels safe. 

"i-umm," the redhead stutters, trying to mentally prepare herself for whatever veronica might say next. "do you even want to be here with us cheryl?" betty argues as she leans in closer to the redhead that sits across the table from her. her eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed waiting for a response. 

_no. cheryl thinks to herself. but it's probably best for her not to push away the only real "friends" she has left._

"yes betty," the redhead replies while staring down at the half-drunken strawberry milkshake in front of her. "i wouldn't be here if i didn't want to be," she swirls her candy cane colored straw around in her glass, hoping that one of the girls will eventually change the subject since she's paying attention now, that they have called her out. 

"hmm," veronica hums. "oh cmon guys," josie chimes in, her voice friendly, unlike the other two girls. "give cheryl a break. she's probably just a little tired today from school and having to coach the vixens," "thank you," the red-head mouths tilting her head left to face the dark skin girl who replies back with a sincere smile. 

unlike the other two girls, josie has always been more compassionate and understanding when it comes to cheryl. the two girls became close after sophomore year when josie first joined the vixens. cheryl didn't have to think twice after seeing her tryouts, josie was automatically in, she's a natural when it comes to dancing. since then they have been like two peas in a pod, well that was before cheryl's brother died. the red-head begin to pull away from her friends, building a wall around herself pledging to keep everyone out. including her best friend, josie mcoy.

"well okay," veronica says interlacing her fingers together and placing them upon the table. "the 3 of us were just talking about tomorrow and how you will be joining us in welcoming the south side high students to riverdale," she stares deeply into cheryl's chestnut brown eyes waiting for a response, but the redhead can already tell the raven girl across from her has found it upon herself to answer for her. 

cheryl couldn't care less about welcoming the south side students to riverdale high, not because the south siders are known as the most horrible people that has ever lived in riverdale. the south side have been frowned upon by the entire town for years, actually decades. they have always been the cause for the malicious crimes and havoc that takes place in riverdale. the south side is known for having violent gangs, drug dealers, criminals, and murderers that reside there. 

but cheryl doesn't necessarily care about the southsiders or the fact that everyone on the north side hates their guts. she doesn't want to welcome them to the school because she can't find it in herself to care. about anything that goes on in life, let alone her school life. if the south siders want to come to an even crappier school just one with cleaner walls and toilets that actually flush, that's good for them but cheryl wants nothing to do with it.

"hmmm," she hums. "i'm not helping. count me out," she watches as veronica's jaw slightly drops open, her eyes fill with disbelief and confusion. before the raven girl can say anything, the red-head quickly grabs her red purse that rests against her thigh, and she climbs out from the booth. she glances back waving her pale white hand in the air insinuating goodbye to the 3 girls that remain seated. cheryl then she pushes through the diner's doors and outside to the parking lot. 

she knows it's rude to just leave her friends high and dry in the diner but she really isn't up for a lecture tonight about how she should be friendlier and more involved in student activities. she's already student body president and the vixen's cheerleading coach isn't that enough for them? why must she welcome some troubled teenagers to her school that she doesn't even care about? if riverdale burned down cheryl would throw a party in celebration of never having to step foot in that revolting school again. 

her black louboutin heels drag against the asphalt as she approaches her red 1961 chervolet impala, shuffling through her bag for her car keys. she yanks them out, inserts them into the car's door, unlocking them as she climbs inside to sit on the red leather seats. she slams the door behind her, turns the keys inside the ignition, and pulls off from pop's parking lot. 

\--

the red-head woke up bright and early to start her morning routine before school. she showers, takes care of her dental hygiene, curls her hair, and gets dressed. today she is wearing a black crop top that stops above her belly button, a red plaid skirt exposing her pale slender legs, red louboutin heels, and a black choker across her neck.

as she sits at her vanity reapplying her red matte lipstick and the rest of her makeup, her eyes glance over to a picture with her and her brother jason, the week their family spent at their summer house together 3 years ago.

the picture sits in a black frame on her vanity, it was taken by their mother penelope. cheryl places the palm of her hand upon the frame raising the picture closer to her face. they weren't a healthy family but they were a family..that was before everything went down hill. from her brother's death to her father's then her mother just up and leaving her. 

you would think penelope would care enough about her daughter, enough to give cheryl a few hours notice before her departure or at least leave behind a piece of paper probably scribbled in excuses as to why she needed to leave.

excuses she would've probably thought of in a matter of minutes tops, but no. cheryl only came back to an empty oversized house, empty being if you don't count nana rose who can barely remember her name most of the time. the woman is senile and clearly getting older as the days go by.

penelope took all her belongings from thistlehouse, not leaving a trace of herself behind. it was as though she was never even here. not only does cheryl resent her mother for all of the pain she has caused her, the years of self-hatred forcing cheryl to believe that she was nothing other than less than.

no cheryl could move past that, she could move past the fact that her mother hated her with every breath in her body and she wasn't afraid to show it. what cheryl can't move past is her mother abandoning her months prior to her brother and father's death. 

yes her mother was emotionally closed off and never spoke about what her daughter was feeling...penelope was too busy not caring about cheryl or what she went through, but at least she was here.

if was enough for cheryl even if it meant her mother would always be absent emotionally, at least cheryl could still have her _physically_. she'll never be able to forgive her for leaving at a time when cheryl needed her the most. 

penelope disappeared from thistlehouse 2 months after her husband's _alleged_ suicide, but every night cheryl's heart still aches. longing for her mother's touch even if that touch would only be the back of her mother's hand striking against her pale white cheek, leaving a bruise that would take weeks to heal it was still a touch.. it was still enough for cheryl to believe that her mother cared. cared enough to discipline her when she made mistakes because hell does cheryl make a lot of them.

the beatings meant that her mother still noticed her, every minute penelope spent bruising her daughter was another minute she spent acknowledging her existence. so to cheryl it was enough. enough for her to believe that her mother still loved her.

but after penelope left, cheryl forced herself every night to relive every putrid moment that her mother spent tormenting her. she memorized her mother's words that were fueled by rage, hate, and jealousy the ones that penelope spewed at cheryl every chance she got. 

cheryl could recite the words in her sleep, almost as if she was reciting the words to a poem she needed to memorize to help her fall asleep at night. she needed to remember them because those words and those memories of her mother hating her are the only thing that make her heart hurt more than it already does.

she would rather focus on the pain she feels rather than the loneliness that consumes her every night she is reminded that she is alone in this house that is far from a home.

because a home is a place where you feel safe..where the people inside of it loves you and there is no love left behind in these walls of thistlehouse. there hasn't been...not since the day j.j took his last breath. 

he was the glue that kept everything together, the family, even cheryl..he took care of his sister. he protected her from their hatred mother that constantly taunted her day and night.

she lost more than just her brother that day, cheryl lost her best friend, her only friend really. after jason passed away cheryl's world went dark and everyone in her life was too busy with their own to notice.

the red-head clutches her text books in the palm of her hand, holding them against her waist as she closes her locker door. she steps away from her locker, on her way to the student lounge to relax before the first bell for class rings. as she is walking down the halls of riverdale high "cheryl!" a familiar voice calls out. 

the red-head glances back to see her cousin betty chasing after her, she stops in the middle of the hall waiting for her to catch up. "hey," betty says breathlessly she places the palm of her hand upon cheryl's shoulder.

"what is it?" cheryl rolls her eyes, assuming she will mention something about her walking out on her, veronica and josie last night at the diner with no explanation as to why. she isn't in the mood for a lecture this morning. 

of course, betty doesn't realize it but subconsciously, she is _always_ lecturing cheryl, acting as though they are sisters and betty is the older more responsible one meanwhile cheryl is the careless younger one that constantly needs to be watched and taken care of, but they aren't sisters. only cousins by their father's blood yet, that doesn't stop betty from treating cheryl as if it's her responsibility to take care of her and discipline her the way a mother does their child. 

although the two of them have grown closer over time, back then they hated each other's guts. well, it was more so cheryl hating betty guts and plotting to make her life a living hell.

since middle school cheryl has made it her mission to hurt betty, from kissing her childhood crush archie adams, aka the boy next door to rejecting her from joining the river vixens.

eventually the redhead eased up a little bit on betty and let her join mostly because she wanted veronica to join and ronnie said she wouldn't join without betty by her side, so cheryl had no choice but to take the _both_ of them.

but after finding out about their family's heritage the girls became closer, bonding over milkshakes at pops or sometimes cheryl would spend the night at betty's, they would stay up all night, watching sappy 90's movies and fighting over who was hogging the popcorn bowl (typically it's cheryl) 

overall, betty cares for the red head, and cheryl tolerates her cousin..most of the time. occasionally betty could be a huge pain in the ass and this was defiantly one of those times. 

"i thought you were..." betty says in between breaths still trying to catch hers after running halfway around the school just to find cheryl. "going to help welcome the new southside students today," 

"false," the red-head groans. 

cheryl specifically said last night at pop's that she _wasn't_ going to help them welcome the south siders to the school because cheryl doesn't care about the south side. let alone the ones that reside there. of course, veronica and betty love to team up against cheryl every time she isn't interested in whatever non-sense they are babbling on about, but the minute cheryl opens her mouth to express how she feels they don't listen. 

_ugh, fucking hypocrites_

"i said i wasn't going to help with that stupid welcoming committee last night betty. did you forget, or were you just _picking_ and _choosing_ what you wanted to hear?" 

"god," the red-head rolls her eyes out of frustration and annoyance. why do they need her to help with welcoming them anyway? just because she is student body president? they can literally find anyone else that would be thrilled to help those gang members find their way around this crummy school. 

"i don't care about southside scum betty!" 

the blonde's jaw drops open, her words in response to cheryl, on the tip of her tongue but before they can come off, a noise that sounds like two double doors being pushed open startles the two of them causing betty to lose her train of thought. 

as the redhead and her cousin both turn in the direction of the noise trying to see where it came from, in walks 3 teenagers wearing serpent jackets. 

a boy stomps through the double doors, his hair jet black tucks behind his ears while the rest swoops above his left brow, his eyes filled with anger and confidence. his face covered in scratches and bruises some healed others appear fresher. 

he's wearing a gray hoodie beneath a plaid yellow flannel, his serpent jacket drapes over his broad shoulders. he's surprisingly tall, his head almost slams into the exit sign that hangs above the front entrance of the school. he has on dark black somewhat tight pants that tucks above his untied black combat boots. 

on the left, a boy shorter than the first one that walked in, his hair covered with gell that cheryl can smell from all the way down the hall, combed over to the right side of his head.

he glances around the school intrigued with his surroundings, he looks nicer than the first guy who came in, his eyes filled with excitement and awe. a red flannel shirt peaks out from under his leather jacket. his pants are baggy, dark denim with a silver chain hanging from his wait. his scuffed combat boots smack against the floor as he parades beside his friend. 

cheryl confused as to who these delinquents are and why they are making so much damn noise this early in the morning, she furrows her brow. her eyes glance back and forth between the two serpents until..

_uh oh, what is this..._

_walking in the middle .._

her eyes brown like milk chocolate narrows staring deeply at the taller guy standing to her left. her hair acorn brown with dark pink highlights. some strands are braided down the left side of her scalp while the rest of her soft curly locks fall upon her shoulders. her tan skin glistens from the sun peaking through the window inside the school. cheryl assuming she is anxious because her fingers are trembling as her eyes glance around the school. 

underneath her serpent jacket that drapes upon her shoulders, she's wearing a black crop top that exposes her perfectly round breasts that are seconds away from popping out of her black lace bra. a black necklace with a silver snake hanging from it hangs around her neck. 

_cheryl's jaw drops open, her mouth practically watering_

black denim shorts merely stopping right below her crotch. fishnet tights that cover her exposed bronze legs while a red flannel shirt ties around her waist. the redhead's eyes wander down to the serpent's boots, they are healed and have red plaid fabric scattered across them.

_who is this girl? s..sh- she's breathtaking._

the pink-haired serpent eyes glance around the school before catching a glimpse of cheryl who stands in the middle of the hall, sweat driping from her pale forehead.

the serpent raises her perfectly arched eyebrow in confusion before running her warm wet tongue over her glittery bubble gum-colored bottom lip causing goosebumps to flare on the back of cheryl's neck, she feels a warm sensation emitting from her crotch.

the girl's eyes fill with pleasure and confidence, the corners of her pink lips turn upwards into a grin exposing her gleaming white teeth. 

_is that filthy serpent eye fucking me?!_

the redhead's heart beat grows rapidly. a frown forms upon her red stained lips. 

_who the hell is she and why does she think she is worthy enough to even LOOK in my direction_

the redhead clutches her books in her hand. her body becomes tense, she clenches her jaw. hatred and anger forms in the pit of her stomach but ... 

quickly dissolves. 

_those eyes..the way they glisten from the sunlight..._

her face softens

_she just smiled at me .._

the red head can feel the warmth of her pale white cheeks as they flush. she releases the tight hold of the books n the palm of her hand. 

_those lips! ugh, they are so full and juicy.. i bet they taste like strawberries...god how i wish i could ta-_

the red-head shakes her head trying to drown out the sound of her deviant thoughts, the thoughts that her mother would never approve of if she was still here. her eyes wandered back up, she notices the pink-haired serpent brown eyes bore deeply into her soul. she rolls her eyes in disgust, glancing away causing the serpent to giggle before turning away. 

"wh-who is that.." the red-head stutters a gasp of breath caught in the middle of her throat. betty's places her hand above her eyes trying to block out the sunlight beaming through the school's window, her and cheryl both watch as the 3 serpents walk in the opposite direction of them. 

"oh," the blonde says, her lack of interest evident to cheryl. "those are the south side high students," "uhh," betty trails off before a smile forms across her face. "the serpents," she nods her head after finding the right words to say.

the red-head purses her red-stained lips before turning around to face her cousin. "well duh captain obvious. as if the jackets didn't already give that away," sometimes she worries about her cousin, she really does. "i need a name betty," cheryl demands. her tone persistent and controlling. for some reason, she wants to learn more about the pink-haired serpent. no she _needs_ to learn more. 

betty snickers, cheryl on the other hand doesn't find anything funny. "the guy on the right. that's sweet pea. he's-" betty starts to say but she gets cut off by the sound of cheryl's voice. "n-no..not the giant. i don't need his name i need the gi-" she taps her louboutin heals against the floor tiles anxiously waiting for betty to say the _girl_ serpent's name. 

"on the lef-" "the one in the middle betty!" cheryl raises her hands in the air frantically waving them in the blonde's face. betty's nostrils flare as her face lights up with embarrassment and anger. "what is the _girl's_ name for crying out loud," the redhead groans rolling her eyes out of annoyance. 

maybe if betty would have stopped cutting her off mid-sentence, cheryl could have been told her _which_ name she needed. of course, she doesn't need those two knucklehead's names. she barely looked at them twice, she wanted the pink-haired girl's name. the one she couldn't take her eyes off from, the one who somehow managed to make cheryl's red laced panties wet just by grinning at her.

_ugh! she needs the name!_

"her name is toni!" betty yells, she folds her arms together against her chest, confused by her cousin's urgency to find out a _serpent's_ name. why the hell does cheryl care about what her name is? didn't she just say like _5 seconds_ ago she don't care about _southside scum_?

the red-head can tell that betty is upset about being yelled at but she doesn't have time to care about that now, she's too busy reciting the serpent's name in her head over and over again. 

_toni. hmmm_

_toni..toni..toni_

cheryl spins around on her heals. the tall guy .. what did betty say his name was again? sweet pea?

she watches as sweet pea and the boy next to him whose name she did not get nor care to get push through the back doors of the school. _"she's a serpent?"_ her voice filled with disbelief and doubt. the two boys strut outside to the school's parking lot while toni follows behind them, a wide grin still across her lips. 

_how can anyone that small be apart of a violent malicious gang?_

_she's so tiny..it's actually adorable. cheryl feels a warm sensation grow inside her heart. those boys look like skyscrapers compared to her. her bodyguards..that must be who they are. toni doesn't look like she would hurt a fly. but then again that is just her appearance..i don't know what she's like on the inside._

_but she seems friendly.. on a count of she smiled at me a complete stranger ugh i practically melted on this dirt-stained floor tile._

_but wait..why the hell are the 3 of them separate from everyone else? weren't the other southside high students still taking the tour around the school? the parking lot is defiantly not apart of the tour._

cheryl turns around to face betty, staring deeply into her dark blue eyes still in disbelief that _toni_ is apart of the _serpents_. "are you sure she isn't just wearing someone else's leather jacket?" cheryl questions. 

_ugh, cheryl why are you so worried about whether she's in a gang or not? she's a southsider which means she is trouble so stay away from her. she can already hear her mother's voice._

_you loveless...devia-_

the red-head shook her head trying to drown out the thought of her mother's voice. now wasn't the time to be thinking about her, cheryl was at school she didn't have time to be emotional..not in front of everyone.

"yea. i'm pretty sure she's a serpent," betty chuckled reassuring the red-head that she _knows_ what she's talking about. "her grandfather thomas topaz is actually like the founder of the ser-," "wait. since when do you even care about the south siders cheryl?" 

taken back by her what her cousin said, cheryl realizes that she don't care about the south siders let alone these people who call themselves the _serpents_.

well there was _one_ south sider she was concerned with..one with pink curly locks that cheryl would love to run her fingers through. and glossy pink lips...full lips that cheryl would crash hers into. her fingers tracing down toni's soft caramel skin as she pushes her way thru her pink parted lips. their tongues fighting for dominance. 

_ugh_.. the red-head could care less about the serpents as a whole but the pink-haired serpent? toni? oh yes cheryl is _defiantly_ intrigued by her. but she isn't going to let her cousin know that. veronica and betty are the queens of sticking their noses in places where they don't belong. 

"your right betty," cheryl says, her voice nonchalant and subtle. putting it off as though she is not completely infatuated with just the thought of toni. as if she hasn't stopped thinking about her since she first laid eyes on her approximately 4 minutes ago. 

"i don't care," lying straight through her teeth. cheryl does care, she actually cares a little _too_ much. she wants to find out more about this _girl_ but of course she can't make it obvious. 

"but you just ask-," interrupted by cheryl's fiery red hair smacking against her parted lips, betty flinches stepping further away from the red-head who waves goodbye as she trots off to class. 

\--

the red-head's louboutin heels clack against the floor as she walks down the hall. her attention focused on the phone in her hand as her bright red manicure nails tap against the screen responding to josie's text. 

_**josie** : r you sure your okay? i know you weren't interested in helping this morning but i haven't seen you all day ☹_

_**cheryl** : i'm fine josie. plus I'll see you at lunch like i always do .._

_**josie** : ugh i know i just miss you sm ..._

walking past the student lounge with her head buried in her phone, the corner of the red-head eyes catch a glimpse of something pink. pink ...like pink ha-

cheryl's attention being taken away from her phone, she lifts her head up. her heels drag against the floor as she steps backwards, coming to a stop in the doorway of the student lounge. 

the pink-haired serpent is laying on a antique red velvet couch that sits in the middle of the room. her head resting against the palm of her hand that is propped up by her elbow that sits on the couch's arm rest. her short legs are stretched out in sweet pea's lap on top his crotch. he is stroking the palm of his hand against her bronze skin.

the red-head clenches her jaw as her heart rate increases.

_is that sleezy southsider her fucking boyfriend?!_

_the red-head swallows thickly as her stomach twists in knots._

the other serpent that was with them this morning is sitting in a red chair closest to toni, cheryl assuming he must be excited about something because he is on the edge of his seat using hand gestures as the other two listen to him attentively. 

the pink-haired girl's chest heaves up and down, a sigh escaping from her pink parted lips before her eyes wander over to the doorway of the lounge, spotting cheryl who stands frozen with jealousy painted across her pale white face. 

toni's eyes, filled with concern and confusion flicker from cheryl's, down to her red-stained lips then back up again. she winks at her before the corners of her lips turn upwards into a friendly smile. 

the anger and jealousy erupting from inside red-head's stomach dissolve at the sight of her smile. her face softens and she can feel the warmth of her cheeks as they begin to flush. her jaw drops open, wanting to speak but too nervous so she doesn't. instead she sinks her teeth into the corner of her bottom lip, almost drawing blood. 

the serpent raises the palm of her hand in the air, waving at the redhead as though she is sending her off or letting her know she sees her staring. cheryl can't tell which one it is but the serpent remains laying there with a smile across her lips, her attention fixated on cheryl while sweet pea rubs her legs and fangs continues his conversation. the red-head stands at the door contemplating if she should just go in and talk to her. 

_"but he is-,"_ her eyes lower to sweet pea's hand.

_are they dating?_

before she can wrap her head around what is going on, cheryl feels someone's hand smack against her exposed pale white shoulder. her head turns to see veronica standing behind her.

"who are we looking at?" her eyes filled with concern but mostly she's just anticipating the redhead's answer so she can be nosy. see..sticking her nose in places where it doesn't belong. 

"no one," cheryl says, obviously lying. she begins walking down the hall as veronica follows beside her. "i'm still upset with you for not helping this morning," 

cheryl too focused on her recent encounter with the pink-haired serpent, doesn't respond to her friend's statement. 

_she smiled at me_ , _again..._

cheryl feels a flutter inside her stomach as a smile form against her red-stained lips. she's never felt this way before. she could never understand when betty and veronica went on and on about the way their boyfriends, archie andrews and jughead jones, the leader of the serpents which cheryl found to be a complete joke, made them feel. 

betty always says that jughead is the reason for her happiness, that she finds something new to love about him everyday. the redhead doesn't know how, he's completely repulsive .. veronica speaks about archie like he's the best thing that has ever happened to her. she said that whenever she is with him it feels like time stops, and they are the only two that exist. 

cheryl could never relate to the feelings that betty and veronica expressed. she has never had her heart set out on someone before..well actually. there was one person who her heart longed for. her best friend. josie mcoy. 

there was a time when the dark skin girl was all that cheryl could ever think about. whenever they were together, she could always feel flutters inside her stomach, her cheeks would flush and she would trip over her words. every moment with josie felt like time had stopped, like nothing else mattered in the world besides the two of them. 

cheryl didn't understand what any of those feelings meant, she never had them for anyone before let alone a _girl_. she became possessive when it came to her best friend.

she didn't want anyone else to spend time with her, cheryl drove away most of josie's boyfriends, she caused josie to push away most of her friends because cheryl hated all of them, and picked fights with them expect for betty and veronica. 

she was obsessed with the thought of josie, but can you blame her? cheryl's mother broke her, she left her emotionally starved for any sort of love or affection, something she would never receive from her mother. josie gave her that, even if the affection only came in quantities of crumbs, it was still something to cheryl, she just needed more of it. 

as time went on, cheryl became more and more obsessed with josie, she wrote her love letters that she would never deliver and drawings that she kept hidden in a notebook under her bed at thistlehouse.

eventually, penelope found the drawings and letters dedicated to josie and she put an end to cheryl's devious, sinful actions. she threatened to show the work to josie and the entire town unless cheryl forgets about her feelings for josie.

forget about the way she felt when she was with josie. forget about that warm sensation she feels within her body everytime josie so much as even smile at her. cheryl had to forget..she needed to forget, that's when she slowly begin to drift away from her friend. 

she couldn't explore the feelings she had for josie. she needed to surpress them, bury them deep inside of her until she no longer felt or else her mother would expose her.

cheryl couldn't let the entire town find out about her deepest dark secret. _falling in love with her best friend_ she couldn't let josie know..so she did as she was told. she ignored the feelings that she felt about her, but that doesn't mean they ever went away..

josie is the only girl that cheryl has ever fell for. yes, here and there she would steal glances at veronica and her amazing body, the way her skin glistens underneath the florescent lights that hangs above their heads during vixens practice. the way her hips grind against the other vixens during the routine. _ugh_. 

of course cheryl would never take it too far, they were only glances. she only looked, never touched. she would never invade veronica or josie's privacy, she never peeked in on them during their after practice showers. watching their bodies become soaked in the water spraying from the shower head.

no cheryl would never stoop as low as being a peeping tom, aka a literal creep. but she would however abuse her power and authority as vixen's head captain.

she would hold practices a little longer than she was suppose to, just so she could spend a few more minutes staring at veronica and josie's body in those tight plaid skirts exposing their underwear and little blue crop tops that stop right above their belly buttons.

yes cheryl is guilty of that, but that all came to an end as time progressed. the redhead realized how wrong it was to look at other females in that way, especially her friends who had no clue of her intentions. 

"cheryl," veronica says softly causing the red-head to return back to reality, stopping in her tracks. she turns to look into her friend's big brown eyes. veronica gently places the palm of her hand upon cheryl's shoulder. "i don't care about welcoming the stupid south siders to our school," she expresses. 

_then why the hell are you breathing up and down my neck about it?_

"i only did that because i want to have a good reputation. you know be seen as the girl who unites the two sides, north and south side together in peace and harmony," typical veronica lodge, performing actions to increase her _popularity,_ not for the greater good of the town. 

"so i'm not really angry that you didn't help," the red-head raises her eyebrow confused by the raven girl's words. if she isn't upset about the welcoming committee then why the hell is she still talking about it. "i'm just worried," there it is. the lump that grows in cheryl's throat causing her to swallow thickly. 

veronica's eyes gaze deeply into the red-head's teary eyes with sympathy. "you don't spend that much time with us anymore. me, betty and josie," she says her voice soft and fragile trying to refrain from upsetting her friend.

"and when you do spend time with us..it's like your not really there," "you are physically but your mind is somewhere else," veronica's eyes lower to the floor then to cheryl again. "i just want you to know i'm here for you. and i'm so sorry for being a hard ass yesterday at pop's," "i just wanted to spend more time together," 

the red-head takes a few seconds to process what was said. she then nods her head, reassuring veronica that she was listening and she understands her concern. "okay," cheryl says her voice soft almost like a whisper.

"i accept your apology," the raven girl's lips turn upwards into a loving smile. "great," she says linking her arm inside of cheryl's. "let's go get some lunch cause i am starrved," a laugh escapes from the redhead's lips.

\--

cheryl stares down at the table, an apple, salad with lettuce cucumbers eggs and ham, an orange and a juice box sits on top of a red lunch tray in front of her. she rests her head against the palm of her hand, propped up by her elbow sitting on top of the table, a tired sigh escapes from her parted lips. 

the redhead's attention focused on everything else besides whatever conversation her friends are having at the table. kevin keller sits on her right, staring deeply into the brown eyes of archie andrews who sits across from them at the table, next to veronica lodge who is leading the conversation between them. betty sits closest to kevin her best friend, she bites into a half bitten apple whenever she's not laughing at one of archie's corny jokes. 

then there's josie who sits on cheryl's right closest to archie. like the red-head, josie isn't engaged in the conversation their friends are having, white apple earbuds lodged within her ears blare billie eilish _ocean eyes_ while josie taps her shoe against the floor. 

"i've never fallen from quite this high," josie hums while tapping her fingers against the table, occasionally her knee brushes against cheryl's leg, a chill runs down the red-head spine causing her to shiver. thankfully josie too invested in the song doesn't notice her friend's flustered cheeks. 

cheryl's eyes wander around the cafeteria before landing on the pink-haired girl. her butt sits on top of a lunch table across the room, her hands propped up on the table while she leans back on them, boots dangle over the seat her eyes glancing back and forth between sweet pea and the guy cheryl learned his name to be fangs. their bodies propped up in chairs around the pink-haired serpent. a wide smile plastered across her face while they conversate. 

the table is filled with other serpents but the 3 of them seem to only be interacting with each other. sweet pea punches fangs in his chest, toni's smile grows wider as she watches, fangs not too happy decides to flick sweet pea's nose with his finger. toni lifts her head, her eyes begin to wander around the cafeteria before stopping on cheryl.

the redhead feels a flutter in her stomach while the palm of her hands begin to sweat. the pink-haired girl gazing deeply into the red-head's eyes from across the room, bends down to sweet pea pulling him away from his conversation with fangs, she places the palm of her hand around her mouth. her lips inches away from his ear begin to move against them. he flings his body around in his chair. his eyes glance around the room before stopping on cheryl. he purses his lips, and glares at her, his eyes filled with disgust. 

cheryl's face lights up with embarrassment as toni places the palm of her hand to her mouth, a giggle escapes from her body. "hey," the redhead feels the warmth of someone's breath against her ear, causing her to jump in response. she turns her head to see a smile across josie's lips. "i didn't mean to startle you," she chuckles playfully her voice calm and soft, her earbuds hang around her ear.

"are you okay?" she asks almost like a whisper. cheryl pauses for a second, admiring the fact that josie is so concerned about her, she slighty nods her head. the dark skin girl rests the palm of her hand against cheryl's pale white leg. her leg shivers in response to the coldness of josie's hand. her friend places her earbuds back into her ears and closes her eyes, nodding her head to whatever song was playing from them. 

cheyl glances over to toni, who is now fully engaged in whatever her sweet pea and fangs were talking about before. her eyes glancing back and forth between the two. the redhead can't help but feel a little jealous, she wishes it was only her who toni's attention was focused on. 

_god your pathetic .._

_she doesn't even know you_ _she thinks to herself._

the redhead adjusts herself, moving closer to her friend and turning her head away from toni's view. she taps josie on her shoulder, she unplugs one earbud and raises her brown. cheryl points to her headphones, asking if she can listen. josie's lips turns upwards into a smile and she rolls her eyes playfully before using her fingers to place an earbud inside cheryl's ear. she presses play on the music, they both nod their heads and taps their feet as the song blares thru the headphones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are you enjoying the story so far? what do you think about the characters?
> 
> what do you think will happen with toni and cheryl in the next chapter? 
> 
> what do you think toni whispered to sweet pea to make him become so pissed? 
> 
> like always let me know what you think🥰
> 
> next chapter will be more interesting this was more like an intro chapter, chapter 2 will be posted soon!


	2. football games and drunken teenagers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm going to try to post a new chapter every week. probably on the weekend cause that's usually when i'm done with my classes
> 
> this chapter is pretty long, has a lot of dialogue and might be really triggering so i apologize in advance, also i'm too lazy to spellcheck sowwy
> 
> trigger warning - graphic death, depression, suicide, drug addiction, panic attacks  
> suicide hotline : +18002738255

it's been 2 weeks since southside high burned down and riverdale high received a new batch of students. the serpents have been settling in well, aside from the brutal bloody fights that take place every other week. fights usually initiated by the north siders, but of course, the south siders are held accountable for them, they always are. cheryl and toni have yet to engage in a conversation, the two only share a few stolen glances here and there, but other than that nothing. 

"what the hell do you think your doing?!" cheryl screams, her eyes widen as she waves the palm of her hands in the air. "i-i.." the junior vixen stutters. it's a friday afternoon, the vixens have been in the gym practicing under the flickering fluorescent lights for what seems like hours. the redhead flips her fiery red hair over her shoulder before glaring at the girl trembling in front of her. "jeez cheryl. ease up," betty says from across the gym breaking cheryl and the vixen from their staring competition.

if it had been a regular vixens practice, the redhead would have taken her cousin's advice and _"_ _ease up"_ on the girls, hell practice would've been over with by now if cheryl didn't spend the entire time trying to perfect the routine. but there is a game, bulldogs vs eagles, and the vixens need to look absolutely outstanding on that field tonight. cheryl refuses to let them make fools out of themselves, and more importantly her.

"you know what betty," she says breaking the silence within the gym. "maybe if you _werent_ the least coordinated vixen in the gym right now i would take your advice into consideration," cheryl struts towards the blonde, her hands placed upon her hips and her red stained lips pursed into a frown.

"but you are. so do me a favor _betts_ and shut the hell up," betty's cheeks flush as her eyes lower to the tiled floor. veronica who is standing left to betty's glances over at her. the raven girl's lips part, on the verge of speaking up on betty's behalf when the redhead shoots her a nasty glare.

"you got some to say veronica?" cheryl's hisses through her teeth. she stares deeply into the raven girl's eyes trying to detect any fear which she immediately finds. "no," ronnie croaks outs. her eyes drop to the floor as she clears her throat.

typically veronica would speak up and call the redhead out on her bullshit, but cheryl is in her HBIC mode, and even _veronica_ knows not to argue or question her teaching methods when she is like this. it would only result in a screaming match between the girls and none of the vixens really plan on breaking up a catfight today. a smirk form against the redhead's lips. "that's what i thought," 

"anyway!" cheryl blurts out stepping away from veronica and betty. "like i was saying," she struts to the front of the gym before turning to face the vixens before her. "from the top ladies. and if i so much as hear a sigh escape from any of your sorry ass mouths, i will keep you here for another hour," a smirk forms upon her red-stained lips.

of course, cheryl doesn't enjoy being a bitch and ordering her friends around, actually, she does enjoy it plus someone has to do it. she needs to withstand her role as HBIC. of course, betty, veronica, and josie know not to take their friend's words that are laced with venom personally, but that doesn't mean they don't get tired of this mean girl façade cheryl plays. 

\--

after applying her signature red matte lipstick, the redhead places the tube into her cheer duffle bag, slinging the bag over her shoulder while her friends conversate in a circle in the middle of the gym. "tonight's game is going to be brutal," betty is filled with amusement and awe.

"i heard some of the students bet against the eagles," josie whispers although the 4 of them are the only ones left in the gym, cheryl dismissed the other vixens 30 minutes ago. "who cares about the stupid game," veronica rolls her eyes. her hands placed upon her hip while the toe of her shoe taps anxiously against the floor tile. "what i'm ready for is tonight's party. i could care less about the game,"

chuck clayton will be throwing one of his annual house parties tonight, in celebration of the bulldogs winning their game tonight. of course no one enjoys chuck clayton or his presence, he's a total prick but he's also the star quarterback, making him riverdale's best party host. parties that involve a boatload of drunken teenagers, at least 6 kegs and rap music that blares through every inch of his oversized house.

with a week like the girls have had, taking tests every other day, preparing for prom, and having vixens practice everyday, they could use a night where they can just wind down and relax. hell they deserve a break. 

focused on the screen in her hand, cheryl uses her thumb to scroll through her twitter feed, tuning out her friends and their conversation. a few moments pass, "cheryl," a voice soft like josie's breaks her attention away from her phone. her eyebrows knit together as she turns around to see the girls standing in a circle waiting for a response. "pardon?" the raven girl's jaw drops opens, when the girls hear a loud bang.

the 4 of them glance at each other confused, assuming they are the only ones still at the school because school let out hours ago and afterschool activities ended 35 minutes ago.

if they are only ones left in the school and they are all standing right here together in the gym then...who the hell made that sound? the girls stand in a circle turning their heads in the direction of the noise. "what the hell was that? " veronica asks breaking the silence that grew between them. 

before anyone can respond to the raven girl's question 2 serpents appear outside the gym doors. "damn! who knew detention could last that long?" his husky voice travels through the hallway and into the gym. sweetpea smacks his hand against fangs chest as they walk past the double doors of the gym. "looking good ladies," sweet pea calls out.

his eyes narrow, scanning up and down josie's figure. the redhead glances over at her dark skin friend, she can't help but notice the flush of her cheeks. the two boys break out into laughter, sweet pea pulls a cigarette from behind his ear as they pass the double doors. 

_wait._

_if pea brain and vampire teeth are together then where is-_

trotting not too far behind them with a pentax km camera draped across her neck is toni. her big brown eyes glance into the gym, connecting with cheryl's. a toothy smile plasters across her face, she stops in the doorway. she's wearing a grey shirt, her serpent jacket draped across her shoulders. black skinny jeans with a few rips, her healed combats boots, and a red flannel tied above her waist. her wavy pink hair ties into two pigtails while the rest of her curls fall upon her shoulders. 

_oh my god her hair. she looks so .. so.. adorable_

cheryl feels a warm sensation flutter inside her heart. toni's glossy pink lips part as her chest heaves up and down trying to steady her breath, her eyes never breaking the redhead's gaze.

cheryl can hear her friends talking. the sound of their voices are muffled in the background, her attention focused on the pink haired serpent standing at the door. hell her friends can be planning a bank robbery right now and she wouldn't care. she's too engulfed in toni and what she's doing.her eyes wander down to the camera hanging from her neck. 

_she's into photography? who knew she could be any more attractive._

"tiny!" sweet pea calls out, breaking toni's and cheryl's gaze. her head turns in to his direction before glancing back at cheryl one last time. her lips turn upwards into a wider smile, teeth glistening from the lights as she trots past the gym doors and off to her friends.

the vixens can hear two double doors push open and slam shut. "ugh. leave it up to _southside scum_ to always make a racket wherever they go," veronica hisses. "god what is wrong with them," josie adds on. 

_wasn't she just blushi- okay .._

the redhead still focused her interaction with the serpent, doesn't engage in her friend's conversation bashing the serpents. well it's mostly _veronica_ degrading them while josie cosigns everything she says. betty wouldn't stoop low enough to put down the serpents. her _boyfriend_ is the serpent _king._

a cold hand nudges her elbow, breaking cheryl from her trance. her body shivers in response to veronica's touch. "what?" she scoffs, her voice filled with irritation. a heavy sigh escapes from veronica's purple-stained lips. _"i_ _said_ , you are coming to chuck's party tonight. right?" "of course," the redhead replies with a smug smirk.

she can't say she will enjoy being in a house filled with drunken buffoons that she hate but, it sure would beat spending a friday night all alone at thistlehouse. plus if she's lucky, maybe a certain serpent, preferably one with pinkhair, might stop by the party and keep her some company. "great," veronica says, her lips turn upwards into a smile. "now. shall we go get ready for this game ladies?" "we shall," betty replies linking her arm into veronica's while josie link hers into cheryl's.

\-- 

bright lights shine down on the vixens and the school's football field. the band plays while the crowd stands in the bleachers cheering. it's halftime, the bulldogs are winning 14-7.

the vixens performed their first routine flawlessly, it still amazes cheryl that all of the girls were so in sync but nevertheless, she is proud of them..for now. they still have to perform their second routine but for now, they are standing on the sidelines of the field taking a break and catching their breaths.

the redhead glances back, eyes observing the crowd, the seats are filled to the brim. on the far right of the bleachers, she spots a few students wearing serpent jackets one being jughead jones, the serpent king, and her cousin's boyfriend.

he's sitting at the top of the bleachers with his feet planted on the row below him. a few serpents surround him, he has a smug smirk across his face, and of course, that god awful beanie sits on the top of his head. cheryl's eyes glance back and forth between the group of serpents, she doesn't locate toni nor her 2 bodyguards. 

_did they really not come? she thinks to herself._ _no, they have to be here.. the entire school is here tonight._

the redhead's gaze wanders across the field, trying to detect a glimpse of anything bright pink because if she finds bright pink hair then she finds toni. 

"cheryl?" she faintly hears veronica's voice in the background of her thoughts. "yes v," she says unconsciously. she's still searching for the pink haired girl in the crowd, but cheryl clearly doesn't have any good luck tonight. "were on," she says pointing to the field. the redhead turns her head slightly to glance at veronica when something in cheryl's peripheral sees ..

_bingo_

_low and behold. she spots sweet pea's tall mop head poking out from the far end of the field, not too far from the bleachers._ _a light smile forms upon cheryl's red-stained lips._ if he's here that means toni _has_ to be here.

the 3 of them are never apart, if you see toni then you see sweet pea and fangs not too far behind and vice versa. cheryl has _never_ seen them with the other serpents all together. its like they are apart of their own little gang with just them 3.

the redhead sees the 2 serpents, sweet pea and fangs standing near a burning trashcan, their jackets hang from their shoulders while a cigarette hangs from sweet pea's mouth. their hands are stretched towards the fire, cheryl assumes they are cold she must admit tonight is a little chilly. 

_ah. there she is._

the pinkhaired serpent sits on the seat of a motorcycle that leans against the school's fence, her legs are dangling above the grass while her head stares down into her lap. the redhead can't help but blush. she's tired of the glances that the two share together, she wants more. god she _needs_ more. 

_tonight you are going to start a conversation with her. no more games. cheryl thinks to herself._

_what?! she's a serpent and a girl..mumsy already taught me a lesson about having deviant feelings about other girls._ _but sh-_

josie nudges the redhead, breaking her away from her thoughts. "cmon cher," she says softly placing the palm of her hand into cheryl's and dragging her onto the football field to perform their last routine.

she takes one last look at toni from afar before standing in front of the other vixens, getting into her position. the sound of the crowd cheering is like music to her ears, she loves the attention even if it only lasts for a few minutes. "okay vixens!" cheryl yells, her arm in the air and a wide grin plasters across her face. 

a new wave of confidence washes over her as she stares off into the crowd. her chestnut eyes find their way back to the far end of the field, gazing at toni for a brief moment before returning to the crowd before her. 

_screw mumsy. i will talk to her tonight._

\--

after the game, everyone began to clear out the field and the bleachers. the bulldogs won 21-14 which really wasn't a surprise, they played against the suckiest team tonight just to ensure a win. cheryl places her phone inside her cheer duffle bag before slinging it over her shoulder. "we did good out there," a junior vixen says to cheryl as she passes her, making her way across the field.

"i guess you guys were all right," cheryl replied softly, she turned around, and begin walking over to her friends standing in a circle next to the bleachers. she tried not to sound too impressed by the vixens performance but she really was, somehow the girls pulled it together and did amazing, they blew the socks off the crowd, and cheryl. but of course, she would never let the girls know that, it would just go to their heads and they will begin to slack off. 

cheryl stopped in front of josie, betty, and veronica who were sharing a conversation before the redhead made her way over to them. "now that we completely _bodied_ that routine," veronica says with a wide grin across her face, she was proud of herself.

"i can't wait for chuck's party," "me neither. i think i'm going to get ready at your house v. my mom has been clingy lately and i don't want her critiquing my outfit tonight" betty's big blue eyes glanced at the raven girl standing next to her then down at the ground. "that's fine betts," veronica replies. "why don't we all meet at the pembrooke so we can go to chuck's together?" josie nods her head in response. "that's fine with me," 

"cheryl? are you coming to my place first?" the vixen asks staring into her friend's brown eyes. "no veronica, i think i'm going to decline. i need to freshen up, shower at thistle house," her eyes glance over at the serpents still hanging out on the field.

"i will see you ladies at the party though," she gives her friend a weak smile assuring them she is fine before they can even ask. "well okay," "see you later cher," josie gives her friend a sincere smile before joining betty and veronica who linked arms together and are walking across the field. 

cheryl takes a deep breath before making her way over to the far end of the field. "listen fangs. all i'm saying is if the north siders want to pick a fight with us..why the hell should we stand down?" sweet pea takes a drag from his cigarette before stomping it out on the grass. the serpent to his left nods his head as he stands next to the burning trashcan in front of them. "and another thi-," 

"so this is how your school burned down?" cheryl's eyes lower down to the burning trashcan in front of fangs and sweet pea. her voice interrupts the conversation held between the two. the two serpents glance up at her while toni's head raises in confusion. she takes a drag from the cigarette between her plump lips.

first impressions are everything, and of course the redhead's first impression is spewing a snarky comment to a group of _gang members_ that she doesn't even know. in cheryl's defense, yes what she said was uncalled for, completely but she needed an excuse to even _talk_ to the serpents. what better way is it to start a conversation with them than to say something belittling them. she _does_ have to keep up her reputation as hbic, which _does_ involve being a bitch sometimes. 

"what the hell you just say to me red," his voice hoarse, his narrow eyes fills with anger. he struts over to cheryl, his boots making mushing noises as he stomps in the dirt. his eyes scan the frame of her body before a smug smirk plays against his lips.

the redhead tightens her grip on her cheer bag, the scent of cheap body spray and cigarettes linger inside her nose. "actually," a voice much softer than the first but still somewhat hoarse breaks her concentration on the serpent standing a few inches away from her, but still too close. her eyes wander over to the boy still standing by the trashcan, cheryl believes his name is fangs? 

"our school didn't burn down because one of us.." trailing off, he looks over to toni who is gazing deeply at the redhead's, he then looks over to sweet pea who stands a few inches away from the vixen, he is staring at her like he's a dog in heat. fangs brown eyes make their way back to cheryl's gaze. he clears his throat before continuing, _"_ _gang members,"_ "the school burned down because an english teacher was making _drugs_ in the basement and somehow he screwed up," 

the redhead vixen knew that southside high didn't burn down because of the _students_ _,_ she heard about what happened on the news. some teacher at south side high, robert phillips also known as _sugarman_ was making meth in the basement of the school.

something went wrong and he ended up burning the entire school down to ashes, thankfully no one else was there beside him. they never caught this _sugarman_ though. somehow he was gone before the cops made it to the school. they stopped looking for him a few weeks ago. 

"you know what red," she could feel the serpent's warm breath against the shell of her ear. "you kinda hurt my feelings with that little comment of yours," cheryl rolled her eyes, if only he knew how many times she has already cursed him under her breath. "you can make it up to me though," " _ugh. as if,"_ she groans.

her eyes follow his every move as he circles around her body. her shoes planted in the dirt beneath her. "you can come back to my place," his voice deepens and fills with seduction. "you can perform your little routine, just for me this time. but uh," he trails off as his eyes lower to cheryl's vixen's skirt that exposes her beautiful slender legs.

the redhead clenches her jaw as a knot forms inside her stomach "this time, no skirt of course," cheryl's body tense as sweet pea and fangs break out in laughter. he slaps his hand against fang's before a wide grin appears against his lips.

the pink-haired serpent jumps down from the bike, throws her cigarette on the grass before stomping on it. she walks over to sweet pea, stands on her tippy toes, and smacks the back of his head with the back of her hand. "damn tiny," he groans while he rubs the bruise on his head. 

_did-did she just take up for me?_

the knot in cheryl's stomach turns to butterflies as the serpent steps towards her. she stops a few inches away from cheryl, the corners of her pink lips turn upwards into a smile exposing 2 rows of gleaming white teeth."i'm sorry about him," she glances back at sweet pea before her eyes return to cheryl's gaze. 

_her voice .. it's soft but slightly hoarse. god it sends a chill up the redhead's spine._

"that's sweet pea," she says. "and that's fangs," her hand swings back to point at the serpent standing in the distant. the vixen glances around toni to fangs who throws his hand in the air signaling a hello. her eyes return back to toni's big brown eyes, cheryl swears she can see them glisten in the light.

"then there's me. hi," the serpent shoots out the palm of her hand, waiting for cheryl to shake. "i'm toni. toni topaz," a genuine smile forms against her lips.

_cheryl already heard her name from cousin betty, but god does it sound so much better coming from her mouth. it's like music to her ears._

the redhead reaches out to grab the serpent's hand. as their hands graze each other's, the two can feel a wave of electricity shoot through their bodies. a warm sensation emits from cheryl's crotch, she quickly pulls her hand away, letting it fall to her side.

"well toni," her voice shakily, she clears her throat hoping toni didn't notice, but she did. the shorter girl's smile grows wider and a chuckle escapes from her glossy lips. "nice meeting you and your _friends._ but i have to go," 

the smile on toni's face quickly fades, the bottom of her parted lip pokes out into a pout. her eyes fill with sadness and her shoulder slouch over a little. it's really the cutest thing cheryl has ever seen, she practically melted onto the ground.

"so soon?" the serpent asks, the disappointment in her voice quickly noted by the redhead. "i'm afraid so," she breathes out. "i have to get ready for a party tonight. chuck clayton's," "ar-are you coming?" cheryl asks trying to be nonchalant but really she's anticipating a yes from toni. 

"if you're going.." she looks over her shoulder at sweet pea and fangs for a second before returning her gaze to the girl standing before her. "sounds like an excuse to crash a northsider party," she grins as the redhead's cheeks begin to flush.

"aw yeah!" sweet pea yells before hitting fangs on his shoulder who seems to be equally excited as him. "well, i'll see you tonight then," cheryl bites the corner of her bottom lip, trying to suppress a smile as she turns away from the serpent. she begins to walk away when toni calls out to her. 

"wait! can't i get your name!" she blurts out. "i gave you mine," her eyes drop to the ground. she mutters the last part but it was loud enough for the redhead to hear. she stops a few feet away from the pinkhaired serpent before responding.

"cheryl," she replies softly while tightening her grip on the bag. toni raises her gaze as a smile appears across her face. "cheryl blossom," the vixen says before walking farther away this time.

"cheryl?" sweet pea questions while staring over at fangs. a few seconds pass before his jaw drops open. he remember where he has heard the last name _blossom_ before. " _the_ cheryl blossom?" his eyes widen, fangs's hand wraps around into an _o_ around his mouth as he catches on too.

"cheryl _bombshell_ ," a grin plasters across toni's face. she whispers it softly but cheryl surely heard it. she walks across the field, lips turning upwards into a smile, but this time she chooses not to fight it. she giggles mentally giving herself a high five for, finally gaining the courage to even talk to toni. 

\--

cheryl returns home to thistlhouse before leaving for chuck's party. she strips of her vixens uniform, throwing the dirty clothes in the hamper closest to the door. after a warm shower, the redhead moisturizes her body with cherry scented lotion. she applies the lotion up and down her pale porcelain legs as she sits at the vanity.

after applying lotion, she slips into a shimmery red dress that hugs all of her curves perfectly. she uses a flat iron to curl her fiery red hair, letting her locks drape over her shoulders. she's sitting at her vanity applying her bloody red lipstick when her phone buzzes. cheryl places the tube into her purse before she picks up her phone, before she unlocks it she sees veronica's name across the screen. 

**ronnie-** _were heading to chuck's. see you there!_

when she is about to respond to her text, a video pops up in the chat. the redhead taps on the video waiting for it to play.

veronica is waving a glass that is filled halfway with a brown colored liquid, in the camera. sitting to her right is josie who looks as though she is in a trance as she dances to _"_ _vertigo"_ by khalid, playing in the background. "you shoulda came bitch!" betty slurs as she flips off the camera with her right finger, a glass filled with liquor being held in her left.

cheryl laughs at the thought of betty being drunk.it's obvious that her cousin has already had too many drinks and that she should slow down. but then again _drunk_ betty is the only betty cheryl enjoys being around. a smile forms on her red-stained lips before she replies back to veronica's message. 

**cheryl-** _screw u guys. omw tho ;)_

cheryl locks her phone, placing it into her purse. she ties a black choker around her neck before sitting on her bed to put on her heels. the redhead slips into her red louboutin heels, she glances back at her room before grabbing her purse and leaving.

she makes her way down the steps, stopping at the door to thistlehouse. "i'll be ba-," she stops herself remembering that no one is listening. her mother vacated thistlehouse months ago, and nana rose is deep in her slumber. sometimes cheryl forgets that there will be no one waiting for her when she comes back. just these empty walls are left. 

she bites down on her bottom lip, suppressing a tear from falling, she opens the door to thistlehouse and closes it behind her. she turns her key into the door, locking it before walking over to her red chervolet impala.

the redhead unlocks her car door, climbing in and shutting the door behind her. she sighs heavily before turning her key into the ignition and pulling off the lot. she begins her drive to chuck clayton's house.

cheryl arrives and parks her car on the side of chuck's house. arriving an hour late to the party, she walks up the hill in heels which she soon regretted wearing. as the redhead approaches the house, she can hear music blaring from inside the house.

walking up to the door, she receives a few whistles and cat calls from some of the guys standing outside. cheryl completely ignoring their sorry attempts to hit on her, she only responds by rolling her eyes and scoffing in disgust. 

she places her hand on the doorknob, turning slightly before walking in. the aroma of alcohol and weed washes over her like a hurricane. she struts through the living room making sure she makes an entrance.

there are some teenagers sprung out on the couch. empty bottles of vodka and bags filled with weed scatter across the coffee table. stepping into the kitchen, cheryl eyes glances over to some teenagers making out of the countertops. 

_gross._

before she can search for any booze, veronica appears out of no where and hands her a red solo cup filled with alcohol. the redhead, having no idea as to what is in the cup, but knows she can trust her friend raises the cup to her parted lips. the bitter sweat taste floods her tastebuds, she lowers the cup from her lips.

her breath hitches as the alcohol burns the back of her throat. "you just got here" veronica asks, her voice low and hard to hear over the music but still audible. the redhead nods in response before raising the cup to her lips. her mind busy thinking about toni and her whereabouts.

"damn girl," her eyes scan up and down cheryl's red dress. "you look goo," "why thank you ms.lodge," cheryl says as she does a little twirl on her heels.veronica takes a few sips from the cup in her hand. 

"hey, hey!" they hear someone yell across the room. the girls turn their heads, trying to see what's going on. reggie mantel is standing a few inches away from jughead jones who has a few serpents standing behind him. the vain in reggie's forehead pokes out as his nostrils flare. "what's going on?" chuck clayton stands in between the two of them.

reggie stares angrily into jughead's eyes. chuck is holding a red solo cup as he sways back and forth a little, too drunk to keep his balance. "nobody invited south side scum," reggie hisses through his teeth. "awwn reg." jughead coos. "don't you think we should settle our differences. the south siders just wanna party too," a smug smirk forms across his lips. 

reggie clinches his fist as his lips part, his chest heaves up and down. ugh why does reggie always feel like he _need_ to prove something to everyone. he's so impulsive, he's literally a ticking time bomb. just let them in god damn it! cheryl needs to see toni! 

"reg," chuck breaks reggie and jughead away from their stare down, he slaps the palm of his hand onto reggie's shoulder. "this isn't even your party bro," he chuckles. "plus who the hell cares right now. tonight is a celebration!" bottles raise in the air as people clap and cheer for chuck's decision to keep the peace tonight. "don't kill the vibe bro," a grin appears across chuck's lips. "cmon in!" reggie rolls his eyes and eventually stands down, him and chuck disappear off to another room in the house.

the redhead watches archie andrews hurry down the steps located by the front door. he dips off into one of the back rooms. "i'll be back," veronica chases after him, she rushes off to a different room in the house.

serpents flood into the house, cheryl's eyes never leaving the door. her breath becomes shakily, she's anticipating who will walk through the door next. sweet pea and fangs step into the house, their eyes bounce around the room in awe. cheryl must admit, chuck does have quite a spacious home, but in size, it's nothing like thistlehouse. 

the 2 serpents walk further into the house, fangs pulls the door behind closing it, him and sweet pea head towards the backyard where the kegs are located. the redhead's eyes narrow and she feels disappointment grow in the pit of her stomach. 

_they are missing their little pink smurfette .._ _where the hell is toni_

still eyeballing the door praying that her favorite serpent will walk in and save her from dying of boredom, cheryl is so engaged in her thoughts, she doesn't pay attention to her surroundings. 

"who we waiting for _bombshell,_ " she feels someone's warm breath brush against the shell of her ear, startling her and breaking her away from her thoughts, cheryl jumps, almost spilling the alcohol in her cup. she spins around on her heels, standing behind her is toni topaz. the shorter girl laughs, which if she wasn't a little bit of irritated would have been one of the cutest things to cheryl. "toni what the hell," the redhead groans. 

"sorry bombshell," the serpent shrugs her shoulders and gives an apologetic smile before leaning against the counter. cheryl's eyes wander up and down toni's figure. she has changed her outfit since cheryl last saw her.

she's wearing a black sheer crop top, her cleavage pokes out a little, a green plaid skirt that has silver chains hanging from it. her typical black combat boots and of course her serpent jacket hangs over her shoulders. her lips pink and glossy while her hair is pulling into two little buns, the rest drapes upon her shoulders. 

_she is breath_ _taking_

the redhead can't help but admire toni's beautiful features. the way her milk chocolate eyes narrow, the redhead swears she can see a sparkle within them. those soft rosy pink lips that cheryl wishes she can capture between her teeth. her slender nose th-

"bombshell," toni slurs pulling cheryl away from her thoughts and back to reality. her eyes flutter open before gazing deeply into toni's. "your staring," cheryl's lips part, ready to argue and object but ugh there's no point. yes she was staring.

yes she got caught, next time she needs to be more discrete. she shakes her head in defeat, toni moves away from the counter and steps closer to cheryl. her eyes flicker from cheryl's eyes down to her bloody red lips, cheryl breath gets caught in her throat. "who is staring now," she chokes out before clearing her throat. 

a grin forms upon toni's lips that are inches away from cheryl's. "still you bombshell," her breath brushes against the taller girl's lips sending a chill down her spine.

the strong scent of lavender mixed with rum lingers into her nose. she glances down at toni's feet, barely able to stand in place. just like..chuck. cheryl leans in sniffing the serpent in front of her. yep, that's defiantly alcohol. "toni are you drunk?" 

_didn't she just get here? who the hell did she ride with? omg did she drive here?_

the shorter girl chuckles before responding. "maybe just a little," she holds her index finger above her thumb trying to emphasize how wasted she already is."you drove here drunk?!" cheryl hisses through her teeth as she clenches onto toni's shirt.

"woah there," the serpent laughs, she raises her hands in surrender. "i got drunk at the whyte wyrm. but i-i rode with fangs" the redhead releases her grip. it was like something took over her, what the hell caused her to grab toni's shirt? why did she become so worried? 

before cheryl could process what just happened- "nice to know you care about me," a smirk form against her glossy pink lips. great cheryl, now she knows you are concerned about her well being when your _supposed_ to be _hating_ southside scum. just fucking great.

the redhead doesn't respond to the serpent's comment, instead, her eyes wander around the kitchen trying to divert her attention. toni glances down at cheryl's hand before snatching her cup away, attempting to grab the cup but failing terrible, cheryl gives up and lets her have it.

"what we drinking bombshell?" she asks, she swirls the cup a little in her hand while looking inside. "oouu liquor," "can i have some?" she asks looking up at cheryl who stares back clearly annoyed. 

"you already have the cup in your hand," she hisses. "i know," the serpent replies. "i wasn't going to drink it without asking first," the redhead face instantly softens at toni's voice. her tone is sincere, genuine, she's actually being considerate.

"if you don't want me to drink it i won't. i'll get my own. i just didn't want to leave you," the red head doesn't want her to leave either plus, how could cheryl possibly say no to a cute face like that. "you can have some," it's not like she was really drinking much anyway, it wouldn't hurt to share right?

toni smiles before taking a few sips from the cup, she hands it back to cheryl who raises the cup to her lips. as she sips the alcohol she can taste toni's cotton candy flavored lipgloss. 

_god it tastes amazing_

a chill runs through the redhead's body causing her to shiver. she lowers the cup and places it on the counter behind her. "so," she says gazing deeply into toni's eyes. "what is the whyte wyrm?" "it's a bar where i work," she works at a bar? god she's so exhilarating. "oh," cheryl replies trying to maintain the conversation but she is just coming off as awkward and weird. she can't ignore the goosebumps erupting on her pale skin as she stares at toni. 

"you know what?" toni asks stepping away from the counter and closer to the taller girl. cheryl's eyebrows furrow and her muscles tense as toni gets closer. "you need to loosen up bombshell," she places her hands upon cheryl's hips and she begins to sway back and forth behind her, guiding the redhead into her movements. cheryl melts into toni's touch, the serpent notices, her smirk grows bigger as she presses her core deeper into the redhead's back. 

"you know i see the way you look at me," she murmurs into cheryl's ear. the redhead feels a pool of heat growing between her legs, she doesn't respond. "staring at me while your eyes are filled with lust and desire," her voice is raspy and soft, it causes a soft moan to slip between the redhead's parted lips, she bites her bottom lip trying to stop another one from slipping.

"god you're so fucking hot," toni whispers into her ear. she releases her grip on cheryl, she gazes deeply into her eyes. cheryl watches as toni's eyes turn black, her pupils dilate. toni's eyes lower from cheryl's gaze down to her lips, her chest heaves up and down as she breathes heavily through her parted lips. the redhead swears she sees her lean in closer.

suddenly the music blaring through the speaker stops and the girls hears screaming coming from outside. the front door to chuck's house falls to the ground behind them, breaking the girl's from their gaze. they both turn their heads, sheriff keller stands at the door with police officers behind standing behind him.

cheryl glances back at the serpent, confused as to what is happening. 4 serpents run down the steps before they are snatched by the police. the teens in the living room fall over couches and trip over bottles as they try bolting out of the house. josie passing by the kitchen gets pulled in by cheryl.

"josie?" "what the hell is going on," her eyes glance over at the door as more officers run inside the house. "chuck called the cops!" "one of the serpents punched reggie, he fell into the pool." her hand trembles, as her voice shakens. "chuck told the cops that it was the _serpents_ that brought the drugs and booze,"

before cheryl or toni can process josie's words, sweet pea and fangs run into the living room. their eyes scan the room as though they are looking for someone. sweat beams from sweet pea's forehead and fangs is panicking. a few seconds pass before their eyes glance over into the kitchen's spotting toni.

she maneuver around cheryl who moves closer to the backdoor in the kitchen. "tiny," sweet pea sighs in relief his face softens, his worry erases the min his eyes lock into toni's. a smile forms against his lips. him and fangs make their way towards her- suddenly an officer tackles sweet pea while another pulls fangs by his jacket. "no!" toni cries out, her hand reaching out to sweet pea who's face is now being pushed onto the hardwood floor.

she runs over to help them but is stopped by the redhead who grabs onto the sleeve of her leather jacket. the officer wraps the palm of his hand around sweet pea's neck pulling him up, his body jerks up and down as he tries to free himself from the officer's grip. the shorter girl attempts to help them again, but is yanked further back this time. "cher!" she cries out. the redhead notices the terror hidden behind her big brown eyes as they well with tears. "i-i" she stutters, her body quivers, god it feels like her heart is going to jump out of her chest.

it was in this moment when cheryl realized just how targeted the serpents really are. yes, maybe one of the southsiders gave reggie a black eye, whose to say he didn't deserve it but, that doesn't mean _everyone_ on the southside deserves to get arrested tonight. here is this tiny gang member trembling before her because she's frightened at the thought of getting arrested. hell, she just had to witness her best friends get tackled to the ground.

this isn't right, now that cheryl thinks about it she doesn't even have a valid reason to hate the southsiders let alone the serpents. yes it was a serpent who covered the tracks of her brother's murder, but that was _one_ serpent, fp jones, not every serpent on the south side was involved. her mother has taught her growing up that the southside is a terrible place and anyone that lives there is nothing but less than.

her mother has programmed her subconsciously to hate the southside and anyone that lives there, but here she is falling for this pink haired girl that just so happens to be from the southside. toni doesn't deserve to carry this waking fear everyday on her back. she shouldn't have to fear for her safety just because she grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.

"toni look at me," cheryl cups her cheeks in the palm of her hands, they both gaze deeply into each other's eyes. she needs to save her, she can't just stand here and watch her get arrested too, she could never forgive herself if that happens."you need to go. you are a serpent..they are _only_ here to arrest the _serpents,"_ two tears fall onto toni's cheek, god does cheryl wish she could just kiss them away and wrap her in her arms tightly. she wishes she could take away toni's pain and make it her own because toni doesn't deserve any of this. 

"cher..i-i ca..nt just leave them," she stutters. god she's so frightened she can barely stand up straight. her body continues to shake even after cheryl holds her in her grasp. "you are drunk. they already got fangs and sweet pea, you can't help them," cheryl says softly, trying to comfort the terrified serpent standing before her.

toni's eyes lower from cheryl's gaze down to her hands. she glances back to see sweet pea and fangs getting dragged out the front door in handcuffs. "hey!" an officer standing in the living room points straight to toni, she stares at him as she stands frozen in place.  
  


"please" cheryl cries out pulling onto toni's jacket. "we have to go!" "go! i'll stall him," josie assures her. the pinkhaired girl bites the bottom of her lip, she nods before turning to face cheryl. she places the palm of her hand into toni's and they bolt out the back door in the kitchen.

"where did you park?" toni asks while jogging away from the house. "not that far," cheryl replies pulling the serpent's hand tighter inside hers. god she wishes she would admire the fact that her and toni are holding hands right now, but she needs to focus on her safety first. nevertheless, her heart is still soaring inside her chest. 

they reach cheryl's car which is parked down the hill. toni, still very drunk hops over the door and into the car. cheryl opens the driver's door climbing in, she slams the door behind her. she looks down at toni who falls over into the seat giggling. the redhead can't help but roll her eyes, she has no business being this cute right now.

cheryl reaches over placing the seatbelt over toni's body, she snaps it into the buckle before doing her own. she inserts her keys into the ignition, she glances back at chuck's house. more cop cars pull into the lot as cheryl pulls off.

"toni," she glances down at the drunken girl laying in her seat. her eyes are closed, her lips are parted and god does she look so peaceful. the redhead uses the palm of her hand to nudge her body awake. "you have to wake up," she has no idea where this girl lives, how the hell is she suppose to get her home?

yes she lives on the southside but what part? hell cheryl doesn't even _know_ how to get to the southside. she has never been there before, her mother would burn her body on a stake if she ever caught her there.

they come to a stop at a red light, cheryl gently lifts up toni's body that is actually lighter than she expected. her body immediately slouches over, her head falls into the crook of cheryl's neck. the redhead tries to ignore the flush of her cheeks and the flutter in her stomach.

"t.t" she pats her hand against her caramel brown cheeks "hmm," the serpent hums, cheryl can feel the warmth of her breath on her neck. "you have to tell me where you live so i can take you home," 

the light turns green, cheryl places her foot on the gas, and starts driving down the road. if they weren't in this situation cheryl would definitely consider this to be the one of the greatest nights she have had in a while. toni's eyes flutter open before she responds back. "sunny side trailer," she hums as she rubs her eyelids. 

\--

the redhead can admit that the drive to her trailer was far from pleasant. the warmth of toni's breath kept cheryl's skin tingling for most of the drive, if not the entire drive. if that wasn't bad enough, toni eventually placed her hand on her thigh. cheryl assuming it was for comfort because she was still startled from what happened at the party.

still cheryl couldn't stop the dirty thoughts from roaming inside her head, they constantly played on repeat. she feels like she's taking advantage of toni although she is the one feeling extra handsy tonight. aside from all the touching and the warm breath, and soft hands, toni sobered up a little while giving cheryl directions to her trailer.

a sign next to a gated fence reads

_**sunny side trailer park**. _

cheryl turns into the open gates, she notices lawn chairs sitting outside in a circle. graffiti tagged over some street signs, and motorcycles sit outside some of the trailers. she tries to contain the fear that is washing over her in the moment, but the shorter girl next to her quickly notices.

"it's right there," toni mumbles pointing to a trailer that seems to look the cleanest on the outside, compared to the other ones cheryl has seen so far. the redhead pulls up in front of the trailer next to toni's bike that rests against the trailer. 

"u-uhh," the redhead stutters, she swallows thickly trying to swallow the fear growing rapidly in her stomach. toni raises her head from the taller girl's neck and scoots away a little. cheryl upset by the loss of warmth, tries to ignore the sadness flaring inside her heart. a few moments of silence pass between the two before toni eventually breaks it.

"thanks for the ride bombshell," "oh yea, no problem." cheryl glances down at her phone sitting next to her in the seat. the time reads **_2:34 am_** "are your parents going to be upset?" her eyes raise from her phone to toni's gaze. the serpent notices the concern hidden behind those beautiful hazy brown eyes. cheryl hope that toni's parents won't be too pissed about the fact she's coming home so late, considering the circumstances, it wasn't her fault. 

"no it's fine," the pinkhaired girl chuckles, admiring the fact that cheryl cares so much about what happens to her. "a-are you sure. i can go inside and ex-" the redhead quickly notices the way toni's smile fades and her body tenses in the seat.

_damn it. cheryl, you're making her uncomfortable. why can't you learn to shut your big fucking mouth._

cheryl can't ignore how awkward it became when she talked about toni's parents. it's obviously a sensitive topic for her and the redhead has been completely oblivious to this."i live alone bombshell," her eyes drop to her lap as she fiddles with her fingers.

"sometimes sweet pea or fangs might crash at my place for a few days, if they are mad at their folks or just need a place to stay. but overall, it's just me," cheryl nods her head at toni's statement.

she tightens her grip on the steering wheel in front of her. "are you guys dating," she blurts out before she can stop herself. she's been thinking about them two all night, the way he stroked her legs in the lounge or the way he stares at her whenever they are together and god are they _always_ together. cheryl can't help but be jealous of all the time they spend together. is that unhealthy?

the shorter girl next to her raises her head, her eyebrows knit as she is confused about who cheryl is referring to. "sweet pea..is he like your..," she bites the corner of her red stained lip cursing herself for even asking. it's none of her business, toni has no obligation to answer. 

"boyfriend?" a laugh escapes her lips which eases the redhead's nerves a little. "god no, he's like a _brother_ to me. him _and_ fangs," "we have known each other since we were kids so..hell they are my brothers," the redhead fakes a smile, trying to ignore the embarrassment washing over her and the flush of her cheeks. 

"i could never think of them in that way _bombshell,_ " a grin forms across the pinkhaired serpent's glossy pink lips. cheryl breathes heavily, she can't help but admire the glisten within toni's big brown eyes. god, it makes her think of the stars that illuminate the night's sky. did she really just say something that corny? 

"that's good to know," she replies. she watches as toni's cheeks turn red, she chuckles to herself while maintaining cheryl's gaze. "so um," "you're parents.." toni eyes leave cheryl's and return to her lap. "i-i can tell it's a sensitive topic.." curiosity getting the best of her, she wants to know more about the pink haired serpent. hell, she's _intrigued_ by her. 

for the past few weeks the only thing cheryl has thought of has been toni topaz, the beautiful caramel skin girl sitting in her car right now. she needs to hold a conversation with her, she wants to learn about her home life, not just about the two knuckleheads she hangs out with every day. she wants to know about toni's past. what was her childhood like? what are her interests? what keeps her up late at night? hell what is her ring size? okay now that one was a joke..

"if you don't want to talk about your family that's fine. i just want you to know i'm here if you do want to open up," the redhead's eyes filled with love, she gives toni a sincere smile. "i promise i wont judge," the serpent stares into her eyes, trying to find any source of deception or impurity but she doesn't find any. all that is there is sincerity and love. genuine love.

here was cheryl _blossom_ , hbic of riverdale high, giving a _southsider_ a chance to be vulnerable and open with her. the truth is, toni isn't _just_ a southsider, well in the eyes of cheryl she's not just a southsider. she's sweet, one of the only people who has cared enough to even have a conversation with the redhead.

usually when people meet cheryl blossom they write her off as a cold-hearted bitch, which she is but she has her reasons. toni has never seen cheryl in that way, she believes there is more to her than just the family name blossom.

she knows that behind that beautiful porcelain skin of hers, there are scars that she keep hidden. parts of herself that she can't find to love. even in a world as big as this one, cheryl still manages to feel small, she feels invisible and unfortunately it's a feeling that toni can also relate to. 

the shorter girl takes a deep breath still staring into her lap fidgeting with her hands, she runs her warm tongue over her parted bottom lip. "i didn't always live alone." the redhead stares over at toni who seems to have accepted her invitation to open up. why?

cheryl has no clue but she's not going to question it. "i use to live with my parents. my mom and-," her chest heaves up and down as she takes another deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. "dad," she breathes out. "my dad. carter topaz," "he was the serpent king before fp and jug. be-before..he died..."

"oh t.t.." cheryl gasps placing her hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. she squeezes the palm of her hand on the leather jacket, the contact brings toni a sense of peace."you don't have to keep going. i'm sorry i intruded," "no it's okay," the serpent's eyes raise to meet the redhead's. "i want to keep going," cheryl takes note of the glisten within toni's eyes, she notices the pain hiding behind them, a pain that she is all too intimate with. 

"he died when i was 9 years old. my grandpa created the serpents mostly for me, so i could have people to call my family when i got older. the serpents are a brotherhood, yes we argue and fit sometimes but at the end of the day we all love each other,"

"my grandpa and my dad were the serpent kings but my father was the one going on serpent missions. my grandpa was too old and weak to go out late at night on dangerous missions, so my dad stood up to take the plate," her voice becomes softer but still loud enough for cheryl to hear.

"uh..one night he was delivering a package to this bar, not the white wyrm..there use to be another bar on the southside. one that was torn down a few years ago," the redhead nods her head assuring toni that she is listening to every word that is coming out of her. 

"him and two other serpents went to the bar, they stayed outside to keep look while my dad did the delivery," carter topaz handed the package to the bartender across the bar, a few seconds later he saw flashing lights and heard sirens.

being startled and afraid, he pulled a 9mm pistol from his back pocket and pointed it at the front door of the bar. with his gun still drawn, he crept over to the bar's busted window and peeked out the blinds.

the serpents standing in front of the door were nowhere to be found, there were only 3 cop cars surrounding the entrance. "he was set up," carter panicked, pacing back and forth before he turned to the bartender who was hiding behind the bar.

he lowered the gun to his side before bolting out the back door of the bar leaving the money behind. he was sprinting down the streets of riverdale, gun in his hand and adrenaline coursing through his veins, when 2 cop cars cornered him in the middle of the street. 

"they yelled, telling him to drop his weapon and get on the ground," heartbreak was laced between toni's words, cheryl watches a tear fell onto her crop top. she sniffls and quickly wipes her sleeve across her eye, almost as if she was ashamed to be crying.

the redhead would be lying if she said seeing toni like this didn't break her heart. carter glanced around his surroundings trying to think of a plan but he didn't have one. everything had screwed up in a matter of minutes.

he had nowhere to run, no where to hide, sweat beamed from his forehead as he tried catching his breath. his chest heaved up and down, thoughts racing through his head at a quarter a mile. his heart thudded against his chest. he planned on making a break for it but he couldn't stop thinking of his family at home, the one that he needed to get back to.

his loving wife yes but more importantly his little girl that he adored. the one that needed a father in her life, he wasn't going to be the selfish person that ripped that away from her, so he dropped his gun to the ground.

he raised his hands in the air before turning to face the police before him. flashing red and blue lights in his eyes practically blinding him, guns were drawn and eyes filled with anger and hatred stared him down, as carter lowered to his knees two bullets were fired, piercing through his skin, his body fell to the ground. 

"they shot him 4 times before they realized he was already dead," "he bled out on the cold concrete..afraid and alone," toni still staring into her lap tried fighting back the welling tears that were begging to fall. "toni i'm so sorry," the redhead says softly. guilt begin to consume her. she was the one who forced toni to talk about something so traumatic and painful. she should've never pushed her. god cheryl why couldn't you just leave it alone. 

"and as far as my mom..my father's death was really hard for her to accept," toni's parents were like bonnie and clyde, always clinging to each other by the hip. they were high school sweethearts, before they ended up getting married at a young age and not too long after they had toni. not only did her mother lose her husband that night, she lost her best friend. 

"it was like she became a different person after my dad died. all the life inside of her was completely gone. just washed away." "she wasn't living anymore..she was surviving," cracks hiding within her voice. a tear breaks through and falls onto her cheek.

the serpent sniffles and clears her throat. when toni's father passed away, he took part of her mother with him. she was never the same after he left this world, how could she be? part of her died inside the day he did. when toni lost her father she lost her mother too, unfortunately it took her a while to realize. 

"my mom tried, she tried to deal with him being gone but she couldn't. she just couldn't do it..and eventually she turned to drugs," toni has no idea why she's being so vulnerable with cheryl. maybe it's the alcohol talking for her, causing for words to flow through her like running water. aside from whatever it is, she doesn't have an urge to stop.

she feels safe right now with cheryl, she can be vulnerable with her which is something she can't do with sweet pea, or fangs. she's a badass gang member from the southside, she's supposed to be hard as nails and have a heart cold as ice but she doesn't, cheryl being able to see right through her walls knows this. 

"she just wanted to feel," toni confesses. she doesn't meet the redhead's gaze. too ashamed of her pain to make eye contact, her teary filled eyes are fixated on the trembling hands fidgeting in her lap. "she wanted to feel something else besides the pain. even if that something else was just a cold needle piercing through her veins..."

the pinkhaired girl chokes on her words, her stomach turning in knots while she fights back her tears. "it caused her to forget for a moment. forget everything that was going on in her messed up world. she would feel lighter," "it was like time stopped and she could finally breathe but soon...my mom started to forget about everything.." "like her daughter..the one that needed her just as much as she needed to get high,"

tears roll down her cheeks as her bottom lip trembles. cheryl, still gazing at the shorter girl next to her placed the palm of her hand on top of hers. she stroked her thumb against toni's hand hoping to give her a sense of comfort, which it did.

fighting her battle with substances for months, toni's mother's drug addiction only become worse overtime, it was to the point where she was killing herself just to get high. there would be days where toni would come home to find her mother sprung out on the couch unconscious.

pill bottles scattered onto the floor, lines of powder spread across across the table. it didn't matter how the drugs were injected, her mother just needed them in her system. to help her breathe. to numb the pain, even though the euphoria would only last a few hours, eventually, she needed to come down. she had to come down.

"i tried saving her cher. but everyday," the brunette turned to gaze into the redhead's eyes. cheryl could see the hurt, the pain behind them. the sparkle she always noticed, whenever she would smile at cheryl from across the room, or when their hands would slightly brush together shooting waves of electricity through their bodies, that sparkle was gone. replaced with agony and fear. that sparkle was no where to be found, all that is left behind is a broken little girl that never got the opportunity to heal. 

"it was like everyday she was killing herself and she was too broken inside to realize," toni shook her head slightly, sadness and grief washing over her like a tidal wave. she used the sleeve of her serpent jacket to wipe her tears that refused to halt. 

"i tried my best to help her. i would hide her pill bottles or dispose of the needles. everytime i tried to help her become clean she would just come back with more drugs," "she would find the bottles in the depths of the kitchen cabinets. there would always be a new needle, sometimes used laying on the coffee table," for a year it just kept going on.

my mother was drowning in her own pain. i tried saving her but whenever i tried, she would only fall deeper and deeper. "one day when i came home from school..when i walked.."i- in my mom was unconscious laying on the floor in a pool of blood," 

cheryl gasps, holding the palm of her hand against her mouth. her heart sinks to her stomach, she can only imagine what toni went through seeing something so traumatic. yes the redhead has terrible parents that antagonized her every chance they got.

but she never had to witness something so gruesome, something so graphic, not like toni. "she was trying to make a sandwich when she slipped and fell hitting her head on the counter. too high to notice the blood gushing from her head, she laid their for hours waiting for me to come home," 

toni tried to lift her mother's limp body but she wasn't strong enough. she was a 10 year old trying to carry a 35 year old's body in her tiny arms. her mother's body fell back onto the blood-stained kitchen floor, the pinkhaired girl's body trembled with fear as she dialed 9-1-1 on the phone she fished out her mother's pocket.

when the ambulance finally arrived, she watched her mother's body be hauled out onto a gourneey. being that she was too young to ride in the back of the ambulance, sweet pea hot wired and stole his old man's car. he was freakishly tall and only an 11 year old but he could pass for a 15 year old. luckily his father taught him how to drive when he was only 8. 

sweet pea hauled ass to the hospital in his father's black 1967 ford mustang. fangs sat closest to the window, comforting toni who sat in the middle. he was rubbing circles on her back in hopes of easing her nerves. that night the 3 of them for waited hours in the cold hospital's waiting room. toni curled up in sweet pea's lap crying and hyperventilating while fangs sit beside them holding toni's hand in the palm of his.

sweet pea almost broke down seeing her in so much pain, but he couldn't. he needed to be strong for toni and fangs, he was like a big brother in their eyes. they weren't able to keep it together so he needed to be the one that did. he choked down his tears, and ignored his clenching heart.

the pinkhaired girl curled into his lap, buried into his sweatshirt leaving tear stains behind. fangs eventually broke down from seeing toni in the condition that she was. the two of them have never seen her like this not even when her father died. she fell into pieces that night at the hospital.

toni was heart broken when her father passed but, she carried the heart ache inside her heart being careful now to let it show. she was breaking inside but her dad's death was something out of her control. she was able to prevent her mother from hurting herself, toni was being careless, she was stupid for leaving her mother alone knowing the condition she was in. atleast that's what she told herself a million times inside her head. 

sweet pea held toni tightly in his arms while she cried. she moaned in pain, mentally tearing herself to shreds for allowing this to happen. how could she stupid enough to leave her mother unsupervised for so long?

she should've skipped school that day or she should've came home earlier. but she didn't and to this day she still blames herself for her mother's accident. that night sweet pea and fangs never left her side, how could they? after waiting for so long they couldn't keep track, eventually a doctor came and explained her mother's condition. 

"they told me she had a concussion and that she was lucky to be alive. they said she needed to stay in the hospital while she recovered," toni always visited her mother bringing flowers each time she came. she would visit before school and afterwards she would stay all night.

she slept in a chair closest to her mother's bed. her mother regained consciousness the next day after her accident. as time passed toni noticed her mother was a little closed off whenever she was around. that didn't stop toni from visiting though. and seeing her mother everyday didn't dissolve the guilt that kept building inside of her. 

after 2 weeks of visiting her mother in the hospital everyday, one day everything changed and toni's world was turned upside down..again. "i walked to her room with a smile across my face and my digital camera in my hands. i was going to show her some photos i took of of the sky. my mom loves sunsets and sunrises just as much as i do so i knew it would brighten her mood," 

"you were into photography when you were younger?" "yes," she says softly. "my dad bought me my first camera which was a polaroid now. my dad taught me how to capture the right frame. he taught me how to develop film and everything,"

"he's the reason why i'm so passionate about photography. at first i wasn't really interested but we would spend time together going to cool places like the aquarium just to take pictures. and well of course and look at the animals,"

"my dad always said that a picture is worth a 1,000 words. it's cliche i know," "no. it's true," cheryl smiles softly, she admires toni sharing memories with of her father with her. "he always took pictures when he was alive. we would go traveling to different places. one time we went to the beach, my mom taught me how to swim while my dad took photos of me almost drowning," toni giggles reminiscing about the memory of her parents. a warm sensation flows inside her heart. 

"that day when i visited her, i had hopes of spending some time with her afterschool, but when i got there she was gone." "her bed was made up, her clothes were gone from the closet. there was no trace of her left behind," "it was like she was never even there," toni admitted, her voice cracked between each word. "

"where did she go?" cheryl asks breaking her silence. there was a lot of thoughts running through her head. like how is toni able to carry so much pain on her back every day, but still walk around with a smile across her face that she wears so confidently.

the redhead's heart clenches with heartbreak, here she was talking to this broken girl before her and she had no idea of what she carries in her heart everyday. "the doctors told me that she checked into a rehab." "she never said which one but she told them she was leaving to get better,"

"i spent months searching for her trying to find any trace of her. hell i was so desperate i even asked for sweet pea and fangs help but they didn't find anything either. i never had any luck." the pink haired serpent eventually needed to let go and accept the fact that her mother didn't want to be found. well..at least not by her. 

"my god toni.." she places her hand into toni's. the pinkhaired girl's heart flutters from the warmth of cheryl's touch. "so you've been alone this entire time..." the shorter girl sniffles and wipes her eyes before responding. "no," she says softly.

"my grandfather thomas took care of me after my mother left. he did his best raising me, loving me the way my mother never could. the way my father use to.." "what happen.." cheryl asks staring deeply into toni's eyes realizing there is something she so desperately needs to get out. 

"he passed away a few days before my 16th birthday...he was really weak and really sick. pneumonia was kicking his ass, he fought for as long as he could but eventually, he grew tired. he needed to let go and he did." "to-" before cheryl can finish her sentence the serpent cuts her off. "grief is fucking weird," she breaths our. she shifts uncomfortably in her seat, placing her hands upon her head.

"people always tell you how you _should_ and _shouldn't_ feel," her arms fall into the seat, biting the corner of her bottom lip while her breath becomes shakily. her heart is thudding against her chest, she swears it's going to grow legs and jump out.

"they say you should move on with your life and keep living but that's wrong," "it's so wrong," "why.." "because you can't!" her voice raises, it's filled with anger but more importantly her voice is filled with heartache. "god" she whimpers. the shorter girl's body quivers,

her leg jolts up and down while her hands tremble. her eyes raise to the sky, cheryl watches the tears fall freely onto her face. "it's selfish of me to go on and live my life when my father died," she cries out. "he was murdered.. and for what? fucking drugs?" 

"he bled out alone..on the cold asphalt with no one to hold him," she clenches her fist, slamming it onto the dashboard. "god. and i-i wasn't there to hol..dd him.." she stutters between her cries. "toni you were a kid..you were only 9.." the redhead says softly.

"it doesn't fucking matter!" the pinkhaired girl's head shoots up to her right, staring deeply into the redhead's eyes. cheryl's heart breaks as she stares into the shorter girl's eyes, cheryl catches a glimpse of the suffering toni has had to endure for so long. she sees the desperation behind her eyes. the heart break, the agony. the pain she has been suppressing for years is finally coming to the surface. right here..right now .. 

"you can't just move on cheryl," she chokes out. her body shakes rapidly, her breathing becomes uneven. toni's tears stain her cheeks blurring her vision, she feels light headed. it feels like the world is spinning and she can't steady herself. "death doesn't let you say goodbye," her head falls into her hands as she begins sobbing.

a tear falls from the redhead's eyes at the sight of toni falling apart in her car. she doesn't know what to say or what to do. she's frightened. she should comfort her or will that just make it worse? cheryl quickly wipes her cheek.

"everyday," her breath shudders. "everyday is just a constant reminder that the person you loved is no longer here. they are gone and no matter how many times you cry .. or h-how many nights your heart aches longing for their touch, it will never bring them back and god does it hurt," her head lifts from her shaky hands, she gazes deeply into cheryl's eyes. tears burn her cheeks as her bottom lip trembles in agony. "and it hurts cheryl," her head a few inches above the hands that frantically shake in her lap. 

"it hurts so bad," her bottom teeth grit against her top, her eyes close shut for a few seconds trying to silence the noise in her head that overwhelms her. they eventually flicker open. "i-i c..an't breathe," she desperately gasps for air, her lungs feel as though they have collapsed. her body jerks forward and her shoulders hunch over.

"everyday it feels like the _world_ is closing in on me," toni's lips part, she pants heavily for air. "god," she grabs onto the material of her shirt, squeezing tightly, hell she's holding on for dear life desperately trying to find any source of comfort. she's looking for something to ground her because in this moment she feels completely out of control.

tears burning the brim of her eyes "and i am run..ning out of a-air," her breath gets caught in her throat. a high pitch cry erupts from her slips through her lips, her eyes close tightly and just she breaks into pieces. 

the redhead places her hand on the back of the shorter girl's head, pulling her into the crook of her neck, she rests her head ontop of hers. toni's tears stain her red shimmering dress but cheryl doesn't care. she's rubbing circles on her back trying to calm her down. she starts to choke on her tears. it's too much for her, she struggling, she's going to make herself throw up.

"t.t" cheryl coos. her voice is strained with fear and worry. the pinkhaired girl breathing stops for a second. cheryl lifts her head causing the serpent's body to shift. "look at me," she cups toni cheeks in the palm of her hand, their eyes meet. tears still trickling down her face, toni's chest rises and falls rapidly as she is gasping for air.

"i need for you to breath for me okay," cheryl forces a weak smile to form across her lips. the serpent nods her head slightly assuring that she will comply. she pants for air while cheryl counts as she breathes in and out slowly, toni follows her actions. breathing through her nose for 8 counts, breathing out her mouth for 8. after a few moments of breathing in and out, her breath slows and her cries become softer. the redhead uses the padding of her fingers to wipe away toni's fallen tears. 

cheryl watches as toni's eyes flicker down to her red stained lips before returning to cheryl's gaze. the redhead's heart feels as though it's going to pound through her chest. their lips part, the two of them panting for air as their breath brush against the other one's lips.

their eyes never leaving each other's gaze. it feels like time has stopped and in this moment they are the only two that exist in the world. nothing else matters right now besides this. cheryl feels herself get lost in toni's big brown eyes. she doesn't know how much time has passed but she doesn't care. she never wants this moment to end.

_kiss her .._

_no..her conscious tell hers. it's a bad idea._

_i just met her today..and so much has already happened. i-i cant. this isn't the right moment._

_ugh, look at the way she is looking at you !_

toni's dark eyes never break cheryl's gaze. the redhead perceives her lust fill eyes. cheryl finds herself getting lost within them. 

_god she's so fucking dreamy._

_she wants this just as much as you!_

_but i-... you only live once cheryl.._

going based on nerves and impulse feelings, cheryl leans in, gently capturing toni's lips into a soft kiss. she feels a electric sensation flow through her body and into her heart. 

_this feels amazing. god it's so cliche but cheryl swears she can feel fireworks._

_toni's lips are so plump, ugh they taste like vanilla mixed with cotton candy. cheryl can stay like this forever. she never wants this m-_

toni places her hands onto cheryl's exposed shoulders, pushing herself away. her eyes widen and her face washes over with disgust, she looks mortified. cheryl sits there stunned, her jaw is open looking for the right words but she can't find any.

she becomes a flustered mess, she can't even think straight let alone bring herself to say something. her heart sinks into the seat she's sitting in, her stomach flares with embarrassment. she wants to crawl inside a hole and die. 

before she can process what happened, the serpent scoots farther away pushing herself up against the door. her lips are parted as her hand pulls on the handle, the door flies open and she tumbles down onto the asphalt. the redhead still lost for words glances over to the serpent laying on the ground. 

"i-..i-" cheryl stutters. but before she can even finish her train of thought, the pink haired girl's body shoots up from the ground. she slams the passenger door close then bolts up the steps of her trailer. she stares back nervously at the girl sitting in the car.

her keys jiggle as she inserts them into the door, she drops them onto the floor. she bends down retriving them quickly. she shoves them back into the doorknob this time unlocking it. she pushes through door yanking her keys out before she slams it behind her. cheryl sits in the seat of her car frozen still. 

_"what.the.fuck"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise the entire fic isn't this depressing, it gets lighter 
> 
> of course as the story goes on i will go more in depth with toni's storyline
> 
> yes i wrote this at 4 in the morning while streaming sabrina claudio about time. honestly the album is a masterpiece i recommend frozen if you ever decide to listen
> 
> give feedback or leave comments if you want, i honestly enjoy reading them
> 
> see you guys friday :)


	3. unrequited feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this was posted later than i expected. i was busier this weekend than i thought
> 
> but like i promised before this chapter includes some angst and is somewhat shorter than the last
> 
> haha i kinda went overboard with that, please forgive me.. 
> 
> after this chapter, i'll just be using song lyrics for the titles
> 
> its easier to do that than to spend 30 minutes thinking of a name for the chapter plus it's kinda fun lol 
> 
> hopefully, you guys enjoy this, if you don't that's fine
> 
> all i ask is that you keep the negativity to a minimum. okay let's get started !
> 
> trigger warning- physical abuse, somewhat graphic fighting i guess there's mention of blood soo

did _i come off too strong?_

_did she think i was being easy.._

it was monday morning at riverdale high, second period had just finished. the halls were filled with drowsy half sleep, half awake, students dragging themselves to their classes, moving at the same speed as zombies. 

the weekend had flew by faster than anyone desired, however to cheryl, those 2 days off from school seemed to drag on endlessly.

she spent most of her weekend drowning in a sea of thoughts revolving around one thing and one thing only.

toni fucking topaz. the pinkhaired serpent that lives inside cheryl's head rent fucking free and god does she hate it.

the two didn't reach out to each other, it's not like cheryl could even if she wanted to and she _really did want to._

unfortunately, the poor girl was so preoccupied with learning about toni and her past, she forgot to do the most important thing. 

_get the girl's phone number._

it's not like toni would have responded to any of her texts anyway. it's obvious she isn't interested, she ran for the hills after that night in cheryl's car.

being rejected is something the redhead has had to deal with numerous times through out her life, not that she ever takes it lightly, but this time it hurt much worse.

cheryl's heart fell to her feet once toni pushed her away, hell it shattered into pieces during it's fall. being rejected by toni fucking stings.

stings worse than, the sensation of the back of her mother's hand striking against her cheek, after cheryl disobeys her orders, which happened more often than you would think.

the poor girl just wants to crawl into a little ball under the covers of her 4 poster bed. thats actually what her weekend mostly consisted of. 

crying for what seemed like hours upon hours and questioning her self worth, something that cheryl has never really had much strength with or faith in anyway.

not after the many times of her parents knocking her down, destroying any self esteem and self respect she has left inside of her.

but, that's besides the point. cheryl just can't stay home all day wallowing in her own self pity. 

she needs to be strong and activate her hbic attitude, blocking out the pain and heart break that is overflowing inside of her, moments away from spilling over. 

_ugh. fuck you toni topaz._

"hey cher," betty approaches the red head that stands at her locker rummaging through text books.

"cousin betty," cheryl's eyes raise to meet the blonde's, a light smile plays upon her lips while her hands are still searching for her algebra book. 

"how can i help you on this ravishing monday morning," "well," betty trails off while the redhead retrieves the book from her locker. she closes the locker, locking it and turns to face her former vixen. 

"i didn't get to see much of you at the party on friday," "the party that got shut down by the cops?" 

cheryl's mind travels from chuck's party to escaping with toni, then to their conversation outside of her trailer. she suppresses an eye roll, averting her attention back to her cousin. 

"yea.." betty bites the corner of her bottom lip before continuing, the taller girl notices her nervousness and the flush of her cheeks. "anyway. you should come over today. let's hang out," 

cheryl taps the padding of her finger against her red stained lips, contemplating betty's proposal.

"hmm. i don't know cousin betty. i'm not really in the mood to be social today,"

"josie and veronica can come too!" she adds on faster than cheryl can finish her train of thought. 

she sees the desperation flashing behind her eyes, but desperation for what exactly? is she and jughead having problems again and betty doesn't want to be alone?

is her mother being insufferable for the 10th time this month and betty doesn't have the tolerance to feel suffocated today? whatever it is, cheryl isn't able to detect it. 

a few moments of silence grows between the two, the redhead weighs out her options before responding.

if she does spend time with her friends, it might ease her thoughts about toni..

maybe cheryl should spend a few hours gossiping with the girls about, guys or whatever nonsense is being spread through out the halls of riverdale high this week. 

that would surely distract her from the tiny little pest who happens to be named antoinette. 

"you got a deal," a wide smile appears upon betty's lips, she claps her hands and jumps up and down eagerly. "under," cheryl tucks her thumb and index finger under the blonde's chin, raising it to meet her gaze.

"under?" "one condition. you invite the girls over to _thistlehouse_ instead. i love alice but i am quite over her meatloaf surprise," 

the two girls break out into laughter. "deal!" betty says maneuvering behind cheryl, placing her hands upon the taller girl's exposed shoulders. a small smile plays upon the red head's lips as the two walk to their next class.

\--

josie sits on the couch, her fingers drumming against her knee. betty sits on the far end of the couch, staring deeply into veronica, who sits in the middle, brown eyes. 

the 3 of them are deeply engaged in their conversation once cheryl walks in placing a new tray of mini cucumber sandwiches upon the coffee table next to the cups of tea. 

"so ladies," she breathes out as she brushes her hands against her red plaid skirt. the redhead's lips quirk upwards into a smile.

"what are we conversing about?" "oh we were just talking about the serpents and how they seem to be adjusting to riverdale high fairly well," veronica says glancing over at her friends.

a frown quickly replaces cheryl's smile, her heart sinks. the thought of the serpents, hell the thought of _toni,_ causes her stomach to do somersaults like a professional gymnast.

"hmm," she hums. "and why would you think it's _okay_ to be having a discussion about such _trash_ in this house," the latina's mouth gapes open, the 3 girls glance at each other before their eyes return to cheryl who is standing before them, hands on her hips and lips pursed. 

"trash?" betty questions, it's evident that she is somewhat offended by the redhead's words. "last time i checked, everyone of the north side _hated_ those _filthy_ gang members. now here you guys are, sitting here, speaking of them so freely. what changed?"

deep down inside she doesn't hate _all_ the serpents. cheryl doesn't care enough to hate them, but since _one_ of them happen to break her heart into tiny pieces, leaving her to feel as though she is not enough for toni _,_ they _all_ have a reserved spot on cheryl's hit list now. 

"we misjudged them. they really aren't that bad cher. i have class with that fangs kid, he seems nice," veronica suggests.

"plus i'm pretty sure kevin totally has the hots for him." the latina winks and nudges the girl to her right. "yea," josie chirps in.

"plus that sweet pea guy is pretty cute. we talked a little bit at chucks party before he was arrested," the red head rolls her eyes in disgust. "oh! and don't forget that one serpent with the pink streaks." 

cheryl's eyes widen as a lump grows in her throat. her heart beat increases and her skin burns as though someone just lit a match and set her on fire, similar to what she did to thronhill. 

cheryl has only seen _one_ serpent with pink streaks and that's .. 

_don't say it veronica lodge._

_you better not fucking say it._

"toni!" veronica blurts out, finally remembering the serpent's name. cheryl's breath gets caught in her throat, she quickly coughs trying to regain it. 

her mind returns back to that night, the alcohol, the flirting, the dancing, the feeling of cloud nine when their lips touched.. then toni eventually pulling away seconds after the contact.

her being vulnerable and opening up then running as far as she possibly could to get away from the redhead.

god, it makes cheryl's stomach twist in knots, causing her to become nauseous just at the thought of her.

"yeah. sweet pea talks about her non-stop. i actually met her on sunday when me and pea went and got milkshakes at pop's. she's hilarious,"

"and smart," betty chimes in. ugh, who is paying them to kiss up to the _southsiders._

"i have world history with her. she's pretty much the only one who raises their hand, answering questions, and she's typically the first to finish the assignments,"

"hmm. smart, funny and she's pretty attractive. i'd be lying if i said, those flannels she keep tied oh so tight around that pretty lil waist of hers don't have an affect on me," veronica captures her bottom lip between her teeth as a smirk plays upon her features.

_okay thats enough._

"i can't believe you traitors," the redhead scoffs in disbelief. "the serpents have done nothing but stir up mischief and trouble in this town, since the day they originated," "they are thieves. criminals. mu-," 

"cheryl. you're friends with jughead and he's a serpent," betty points out. "correction cousin betty." cheryl hisses through her teeth, pointing at the girl who scoots further into the couch.

"i _tolerate_ jughead because he's _your_ boyfriend," she barks. "plus jughead isn't even a real southsider. he was raised on the _northside._ like _us_ ," 

"but wait cher," josie chimes in. "you seemed to care a lot when toni almost got arrested at the party. hell you even _helped_ her escape," veronica and betty's eyes are drawn over to the redhead. 

_ugh don't remind me._

"please," the redhead scoffs, she's quick to think of a lie off the top of her head. "i only took that _pathetic_ smurfette under my wing because i wanted the universe to bless me with some good karma. lord knows i need it,"

completely not true. cheryl helped toni that night because she _cared_ , hell she still _cares,_ although it's foolish. the serpent could care less about her let alone her well being.

that's why cheryl must suppress her feelings, lock them up inside of her and throw away the key, never allowing them to see a shade of daylight. 

josie's eyes widen and she just sips on her tea instead of responding. "i could never find it in myself to care, let alone _respect_ any of those _delinquents,"_ cheryl barks. 

"but cher," veronica says softly gazing over at betty, she takes note of her friend shifting uncomfortably.

"no ronnie. i _completely_ despise them. they can _all_ return _back_ to where they came from for all i care," "and where is that?" betty asks softly almost like a whisper.

"the sewers," cheryl spats. she takes a heavy breath which somewhat eases her nerves, settling the anger flaring inside her stomach.

"anyway," a smile plays upon her lips as she reaches for the remote, trying to forget about the pinkhaired girl that roams ever so freely inside her mind. "now. shall we watch grey's or are you guys in the mood for you?" 

veronica, josie, and betty glance at each other, sighing heavily before settling back into their seats. 

\--

cheryl's black pumps clack against the floor as she storms into the cafeteria. the red head woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, and if that wasn't bad enough, she had a very unpleasant encounter with none other than, toni topaz.

well, it wasn't really an encounter. it was more so cheryl glaring angrily at toni who stood at ginger's locker flirting carelessly.

the two were exchanging flirty glances at each other while ginger would subtly stroke her thumb against the brunette's forearm skin, toni would respond by cupping the girl's cheek in the palm of her hand. smiles plastered across both of their faces. 

ugh, the nerve of that serpent. rejecting the _cheryl blossom_ and for what? ginger, who so happened to be one of the redhead's river vixens.

cheryl has half a mind to demote her to the bottom of the pyramid for the rest of the school year, or simply just kick her off the team all together. 

it's not like she's an important asset to the vixens anyway, cheryl will surely not miss her presence. but, the red head doesn't have the patience to explain to her other vixens why ginger will be leaving, so instead of lashing out, cheryl decided to just drag herself to biology. 

the disgusting sight of toni coming onto to the former vixen happened before first period, but the thought of them together haven't left cheryl's mind since. 

and that isn't even the worst part. it's obvious toni is avoiding her. when cheryl was on her way to history which happens to be her second period, her and the serpent accidentally made eye contact when toni turned around too quickly almost knocking the red head over. 

their bodies bumped into each other, cheryl stood there starstruck because their faces were merely inches away. toni who was clearly uncomfortable had nothing to say, not even an apology for causing cheryl to almost fall.

she simply stared into her eyes for a few seconds before darting down the hallway leaving the red head standing frozen in place.

_it just doesn't make sense._

_toni never implied that she was single, does she have a girlfriend? her actions that night says differently so who knows?_

_am i not good enough for her? what does ginger have that i don't?_

_i completely run this school, hell i run this town. the blossoms are merely the most powerful, wealthiest family in riverdale, despite my parents previous sins coming back to bite them in the ass, my family still owns this town and everyone in it._

_ginger can't provide her anything besides a one night stand that toni would eventually regret by morning._

_hell, i can give that girl the world and whatever else she desires, in the blink of an eye._

_i guess this is the universe punishing me for all those years i tormented and stepped on any and everyone that dared to cross my path._

_what the hell was i thinking, falling for a serpent? a female serpent at that._

_i wasn't asking for anything but trouble the minute i laid eyes on that stupid beautiful pink haired goddess._

_well, lesson learned. don't fall for someone if you aren't ready to pick yourself back up, cause god knows toni surely didn't cat-_

cheryl is snatched away from her thoughts, when she comes to, she is face to face with sweet pea. toni's stupid serpent buddy. 

the dark haired serpent stands in front of cheryl, his eyes filled with lust but also amusement, his mouth is open as he looks down to the floor.

the redhead's eyes lower to the floor also, a milk carton is leaking chocolate liquid inches away from her precious expensive heels. 

cheryl instincts causes her to scoot back before anything gets on her. "what the hell?" her voice laced with anger and annoyance.

"damn red. keep those pretty lil eyes focused ahead okay?" a smug smirk plays upon the serpent's lips. 

"watch where you are going you _filthy bad built neanderthal,_ " cheryl barks as she rolls her eyes. sweet pea's eyes widen before he places his tray that has, a burger and fries piled on top, on the lunch bar.

"what did you just say to me _bitch_?" he leans in closer to cheryl's face. the scent of cigarettes and mint gum brushes against her lips. the rage and adrenaline coursing through cheryl's veins right now, causes her not to stand down. 

the red head leans in closer, she pokes her index finger into sweet pea's chest. "you heard me you, _sweaty, filthy wildebeest,"_ sweet pea breathes heavily.

he digs his nails deep into the palm of his hand, breaking skin. he opens his mouth ready to chew cheryl's head off, but before he can unleash his words fangs runs over to them, pushing in between cheryl and the angry serpent. 

"woah woah," fangs chuckles trying to ease some of the heavy tension floating throughout the cafeteria. "calm down sweets," he claps his hand on his friend's shoulder as he stares deep into his eyes, fangs eyes filled with nothing but peace and sincerity.

a light smile plays upon his lips in efforts of calming down his friend. "we should just go and get some air. huh?" the serpent nods slightly, he knows it's not a good idea to pick a fight with _the cheryl blossom._

"you're right," cheryl chimes in. her eyes drift over to the serpent's table. toni sits on the table with worry washed upon her features. her lips are parted as she watches sweet pea, fangs, and cheryl from afar. 

"you should leave, because the aroma of your sweaty," cheryl lighty pulls on the collar of fang's flannel, before releasing it from her fingers. she scrunches her nose in disgust and wipes her fingers upon her black sweater. 

"musty hair and your _cheap_ one cent dollar store body spray, is stinking up the whole damn cafeteria causing me to lose my appetite," "now ta ta," cheryl waves her hand in the air sending off the two serpents. 

fangs stands there with a confused look upon his face while he remains his grip on sweet pea's, who stands beside fangs, his chest rises and falls rapidly, rage radiating off from him, leather jacket. 

"what did that _whore_ just say?" a serpent behind fangs and sweet pea raises from their table. cheryl is a little taken back by the serpent, but once again she refuses to stand down. 

the red head's head maneuvers around the boys, her eyes darting over to the serpent. "you heard me _southside scum._ you _all_ can leave and return back to your worn out, busted up trailers," cheryl says louder for _everyone_ in the cafeteria to hear. 

cheryl's words were all it took, the serpents rose from their table, combat boots slapping against the floor as they make their way behind sweet pea and fangs. 

suddenly, you can hear tables and chairs being scooted out from behind cheryl. the bulldogs form behind the redhead. their chests poking out, some have their fists clenched, others slap the palm of their hands against their knuckles. 

"are these _gang bangers_ bothering you?" reggie mantel asks, coming to a stance behind cheryl. his voice is hoarse and louder than anyone else in the cafeteria.

everyone has stopped eating and their conversations have come to a halt. their attention solely focused on the bulldogs and the serpents standing a few feet apart, in the center of the cafe. 

before the redhead can respond to the athlete behind her question..

the pink haired serpent jumps down from the table, her boots clonking against the floor as she runs over, maneuvering around the group of angry, ready to pounce at any minute, serpents, and her two friends, she stops a few inches away from cheryl. 

"cmon guys," she chuckles and places her hand on a serpent behind her leather jacket while turning around to face the serpents then turning to face the jocks. "cheryl was just kidding..right?" "right _cher_ ,"

the nickname completely throws cheryl off, this girl has the nerve to call her pet names when she has ignored her for the past 2 days? 

"fuck you toni," the red head blurts out faster than she can stop herself. she can't help it, her stomach is tossing and turning, filling with jealousy, heart ache, and well, rage. her emotions are washing over her, taking complete control. 

she just can't erase the images of ginger and toni flirting from her head, not now she can't. they are playing on repeat causing her heart to ache more and more now that she is gazing deeply into those beautiful milk chocolate eyes. the ones that she always wind up getting lost in, damnit. curse this girl for being so damn angelic. 

"who said you could speak for me?" cheryl questions. toni's smile faded when cheryl barked the words _fuck you toni_ causing her heart to sink to her stomach, but now her shoulders hunch over a little, her heart thunders against her chest, and the redhead swears she can see a glint of sadness within her eyes.

"what?" her voice is soft almost like a whisper, it's dripping with concern and confusion, her arm hand drops from the serpent's shoulder, falling in defeat. 

god did cheryl miss that voice. it's like a drug to her and she really needed a fix over the weekend. "nobody included you in this conversation. it was between me and your _thuggish_ friends. hmm, the ones that were arrested over the weekend?" 

toni's breath gets caught in her throat, her chest heaves up and down, her eyes fall to the floor and the look of hurt that washes over her face, causes cheryl to regret what she said the minute it came out. 

the red head knows how traumatic it was for toni to see her friends being pinned to the ground and handcuffs slapping upon their wrists. the pinkhaired girl was shaking, hell she practically broke down at the sight of it, that was little of you to rub in her face cheryl. so little.

"what the hell is wrong with you?" toni's entire demeanor changes, fury and disappointment flashes brightly inside her eyes practically blinding cheryl, but regardless, she can still see the tears welling inside of them.

it's cold hearted but cheryl gains satisfaction from seeing the serpent so upset. part of her feels bad for causing toni to be on the verge of crying, but the other part finds much pleasure in it.

cheryl is in control now and god does she love it. she is _feeding_ off from toni's pain. her lips quirks upwards into a smile, she places her hands on her hips.

at this point, her intentions are _only_ to hurt toni the way she hurt her, even if that means breaking the girl's self esteem and heart into pieces, the redhead is already on board. 

the pink haired girl leans in a little squinting, her eyes searching for the sweet, loving girl that comforted her, letting toni ball her eyes out on her shoulder for what seemed like hours that night, the one that saved her from spending her friday night inside a freezing cold jail cell, the one who kissed her with so much passion, words could never possibly describe it. 

but, instead of finding that girl, the only thing toni finds deep behind the depths of cheryl's hazy brown eyes, could only be described as the spawn of satan. 

the shorter girl doesn't find her inside because cheryl has already rebuilt her walls, creating a barrier around who she _is_ and who she chooses to _be._

she broke her heart that night, and although it's not toni's fault the redhead doesn't take rejection well, she still made her feel as though she is nothing. toni doesn't get the privilege to see the real _cheryl blossom_ anymore. 

"you are what's wrong with me," the redhead hisses leaning closer to toni who backs away a little. her gaze drops to the floor beneath her.

the redhead tries to ignore the heat rising on her skin and the butterflies inside her stomach. "i'm sick you southside _trash_ walking the halls of _my_ school with your noses held high and them worn out, cheap ass leather jackets you wear upon your shoulders like it's a badge _,"_

cheryl smiles before turning to face the bulldogs."this isn't just your school cheryl," the shorter girl bites back. the redhead bites the corner of her bottom lip suppressing a smile. "you have no right to say us _southsiders_ don't belong here," 

she didn't expect a response from her, but loving the fact she got a reaction, which is toni's attention. this is exactly what she wanted, and boy does cheryl _blossom_ _always_ get what she wants.

the taller girl turns on her heels to the face the serpent who clearly isn't intimated by her. toni stands her ground, glaring at cheryl who is getting a kick out of this entire thing. 

"why don't you just crawl back.." the red head says as she steps closer and closer to toni, her breath hitches, which toni notices, before she continues, "back into the _sewers,_ you southside _rats_ ," cheryl pokes her finger into toni's sheer green cop top. 

the pink haired girl's mouth gapes open, before she can respond sweet pea decides he has had enough. "say that again red. i dare you," he stomps closer to cheryl who laughs in response. 

toni tries pulling him back by his sleeve, but he pushes his way through. reggie quickly steps in front of the red head, blocking her from the serpent who was a ticking time bomb that finally exploded. 

"move pretty boy," he growls. "do you really wanna do that rat? i didn't forget the shit you dirty serpents, pulled at the party" 

"how could you? you still got that fat ass black eye," sweet pea smirks. reggie pushes him into toni who slips on her boots, falling back, luckily, fangs is quick on his feet to catch her.

sweet pea quickly glances back making sure toni is okay, she's being held up by two other serpents, sweet pea lunges his fist into reggie mantel's jaw. 

blood splatters from reggie's mouth into the air, cheryl places her hands over her mouth, gasping, she quickly moves to her left before reggie's body can crush her. his face slams onto the tiles, a few of the bulldogs bend down around him.

"oh your dead scum!" the serpents and bulldogs lunge towards each other, but before any of their hits can connect...

"topaz!" a voice yells from behind the bulldogs, causing everyone to freeze in place. "blossom!" the red head turns her head to see principal wetherbee standing in the doorway of the cafeteria. his face shows he is far from pleased by everyone's behavior. 

"my office! now!" the two girls jump from the anger inside his deep voice. toni groans before staring at the red head who looks equally upset as her, if not more. 

"great. look at what you did," cheryl huffs crossing her arms together. the serpent responds by rolling her eyes and groaning once again. "fucking bombshell," she mutters under her voice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo cheryl and toni hates each other now. cheryl decided to put her walls back up and close herself off again
> 
> the bulldogs and serpents almost fought, who do you think would win? i say serpents
> 
> what do you think will happen to choni in the next chapter? were you rooting for them to be an item? cause ik i was😔
> 
> hope you enjoyed tho, the next chapter will be coming soon. 
> 
> leave comments or kudos if you want they are greatly appreciated andd
> 
> until we meet again!


	4. currently you stay on my mind must be magnetic the way you take my breath away i often need a medic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, this week has been sooo long. 
> 
> apparently the first week with braces is usually the most painful, how lucky am i :) every time i eat it feels as if my teeth is going to break so i've cut back on eating which sounds dumb but if only you knew the pain.
> 
> anyway i'm really excited for this fanfic, i'm putting a lot of effort into it
> 
> i really appreciate the comments and kudos they really keep me motivated so thank you, keep em coming
> 
> there is a little choni in this chapter, but this is mostly told from toni's pov
> 
> (well it's still 3rd person but yk what i mean) 
> 
> i don't plan on switching back and forth between cheryl and toni's pov or anything. i really hate writing in first person so i don't. this chapter just ended up being more about toni. 
> 
> ugh, i can't wait for season 5! of course i'm only anticipating seeing toni and cheryl.  
> (the only reason i still watch riverdale). i can't wait for choni angst, and on top of that were getting a toni backstory?!
> 
> yeah i can't contain my excitement. the writers are finally giving vanessa what she deserves and i'm living for it.
> 
> anyway, let's get into the fic.
> 
> tw- very brief mention of drug use, blood, violence

"man, jug has been on my _ass_ about them damn ghoulies." the dark haired boy takes a hit from the cigarette lodged between his lips. 

"why? they haven't even made any moves yet," fangs chimes in, he's sitting on the seat of sweet pea's motorcycle, his combat boots dangle a few inches about the concrete while, the other serpent's elbows lean against the handle bars. 

"i don't know but i'm getting real tired of his shit," sweet pea inhales before continuing. "i mean why the hell did fp pass the serpents down to him anyway? leader material my ass," the smoke from his mouth blows out into the air. 

"mhm," toni hums. she stands a few feet away from fangs, a lit cigarette lodged between her plush lips, her shoulders are hunched over, her legs are brushing together trying to create friction.

if only she'd known it would be chilly, she wouldn't have worn a teeny tiny skirt, thankfully her fishnets are providing her a little warmth. 

"maybe, because jughead is his son?" she takes a long drag from her cigarette, heat overflows her lungs as she releases the smoke out into the air. 

"that's bullshit and you know it tiny. jug doesn't know what the hell he's doing with the serpents," sweet pea barks. "you gotta be honest though pea, he's been keeping us together for this long,"

the taller boy lips suck around the stick. "he may be keeping the _serpents_ together, but he sure as hell ain't keeping _us_ together," his pointer finger swirls in a circle, pointing at the 3 serpents.

"he's right fangs. we don't listen to jug's bullshit orders, we do our own thing," toni shrugs her shoulders then glances over at sweet pea who nods his head in agreement. 

one of the rules for a serpent is to always wear their jackets because it's their skin and a snake never sheds it's skin.

another rule is to stick together because no serpent shall travel alone. this was a rule jughead enforced after becoming king, but, toni, fangs and sweet pea constantly break it because they are always closed off from their fellow gang members.

the serpents have been a brotherhood ever since the gang originated but, since jughead took over it haven't really felt that way.

the 3 of them, sweet pea, fangs, and toni, are always clinging to each other's hips, if you see one of them, the other two are not far behind.

they are like the 3 musketeers if you must. although everyone refers to them as the 3 stooges, because they are all a bunch of goofballs, point is, they are always together, never separate.

it's almost as if they have their on little gang within the serpents. this is because, their trio is the closest thing to a family, now that the serpents aren't anymore. 

"anyway," sweet pea says breaking the silence between them. "enough about bozo the clown. tiny you should come to the wyrm with us," the pink haired serpent groans before smoking again. "you know i have detention pea," "ugh, still?" he grunts. 

thankfully principal weatherbee went easy on the girls. instead of being suspended for _posturing_ a fight, even though the entire situation in the cafe was really cheryl blossom's doing, he was lenient and gave both the girls 2 weeks detention instead.

"yea but don't worry bub," toni walks over to sweet pea and stands on her tippy toes to meet his height. she places her index finger and thumb under his chin, lifting his head.

"this is the last week. i know you miss seeing me afterschool," she blows her cigarette smoke into his face as a smile graces her lips.

sweet pea's face scrunches and he tries swatting the smoke away. fangs laughs which results in sweet pea punching his shoulder. "oww," the dark haired boy groans rubbing his bruise.

toni laughs, her eyes wander down at the cigarette's ash which falls onto the asphalt. "well come to the wyrm after detention. we'll be there all night since hogeye got me and fangs working night shifts," sweet pea says trying to convince her. "yea, cmon tinyy,"

"i'll see if i can swing by, i might be tired after leaving here," "pleaseee," sweet pea whines. "drinks are on the house, plus you'll probably need one after leaving detention" he pokes his lip out and gives her puppy dog eyes.

"when do we ever pay drinks?" toni chuckles, sweet pea's expression falters as he realizes it's true. neither of them pay for their alcohol, drinks are always on the house.

"but i'll come since you guys are being big babies about it," sweet pea and fangs fist pump the air, cheering, toni rolls her eyes playfully.

"speaking of detention," she trails off, dreading spending another one of her afternoons in a boring classroom, staring blankly at the dull wall.

she has thoughts about skipping but, if she does, the principal certainly won't go easy on her this time. he might even suspend her for being insubordinate, so toni has no choice but to attend.

"what time is fangs?" the serpent digs in his pocket, fishing his phone out. his thumb presses down on the power button, his eyes glance down at the screen. "4:59" 

"shit. i'm late!" toni's takes off running across the parking lot. fangs and sweet pea bursts out in laughter. "hey! have enough fun for the both of us in there," he calls out. 

toni flips him off as she turns the corner, she takes one long drag from her cigarette before tossing it onto the concrete. she bolts through the back doors and into the school. 

after the doors slam closed, sweet pea's gaze leaves the school and turns over to his bike. "lets go fogarty," he slaps the palm of his hand against the leather of fang's jacket.

in response fangs shoves his hand off from his shoulder. sweet pea and fangs both square up, fangs slaps his face then the two begin boxing. 

as toni runs down the hallway, the bell signaling the start of detention chimes. "ugh fuck me." as she comes to the classroom door, her slippery studded boots betray her.

she slips but, the palms of her hands quickly breaks her fall, she lifts herself up just as mr.martin figure appears in the doorway, blocking her entrance. 

her chest rises and falls rapidly, toni stands there frozen, in attempts to read the teacher through his eyes but mostly to catch her breath and give her heart a opportunity to slow down. 

"your late. again," his expression is far from displeased. the brunette stares blanky, thinking of an excuse for her tardiness but hell she's used just about every one in the book. 

"do i need to tell principle weatherbee you could use another week of detention?" "no sir," she says before he can finish.

the darker skin man looks her up and down one last time before, returning back into the classroom to take a seat at his desk.

a sigh of relief falls from toni's lips, the last thing she wants is to spend three weeks in detention. two because of cheryl fucking blossom and one because of her inability to arrive on time.

she walks inside the gloomy classroom. the paint on the walls are beginning to chip, the air is moist and consumed with the smell of burnt coffee and pencil shavings. 

toni's eyes bounce around the room looking for an empty seat. of course since she was the last one to arrive, there would be none besides...

_bingo_. 

her big brown eyes land on an empty seat next to...

of course. 

cheryl blossom. 

ever since their altercation in the cafeteria, the two haven't spoken. hell they haven't even crossed paths. the only time they are in the same room is during detention.

typically cheryl sits in the front, closest to the door, toni assumes it's because she wants to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. meanwhile toni usually grabs a seat in the far back of the class so she can't be bothered, but, since she came late their are no seats in the back. 

of course toni wanted to ask red what the hell her problem was that day, but she believed it was best to let her cool off.

after a week, the flame brewing inside of cheryl that day, must have sizzled down to ashes by now. maybe this is the universe giving them an opportunity to speak. 

the shorter girl takes a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for whatever insults cheryl has hidden up her sleeve.

probably ones about the fact that toni's in a gang that cheryl refers to as "southside rats" or maybe she'll up her game today and attack toni's self esteem, making her hatred for the serpents personal. 

toni's boots drag against the hardwood as she makes her way over to the table. cheryl's head is planted in a book she holds up against the table, in cold blood by truman capote. her attention is fixated on the writing. 

as toni gets closer, her eyes roam up and down cheryl's figure. she's wearing a plaid red and black sweater, a black skirt that exposes her slender legs and hugs her beautiful curves perfectly and red heals that shine from the sunlight beaming through the window.

her makeup is bright which compliments her flawless porcelain skin. her fiery red curls fall upon her shoulders and of course she's wearing her signature bloody red lipstick. 

the serpent's heart thuds against her chest, her eyes are glued to the red head's legs. she's completely mesmerized by the sight of them, it's almost impossible for her to take her eyes them off, that is until...

"wipe the drool from your lips smurfette. it's not attractive," cheryl hisses, pulling toni away from her unholy thoughts.

the brunette runs the back of her hand against her mouth, of course there is nothing there, she was just teasing. toni's gaze lifts to cheryl and she notices, her attention is still fixated on the book. 

_does this girl have eyes in the back of her head?_

_is she really the spawn of satan? or was it just that obvious toni was staring?_

"sorry," toni says softly. the red head hums and nods slightly, her fingers brush up against the pages.

"can i sit?" "i can't stop you," cheryl says, their isn't any emotion behind her tone. toni doesn't detect any hidden anger or resentment in her voice.

unlike she did the last time they talked, which was, during that stupid argument between the serpents and bulldogs.

right now, it seems to be that cheryl is being genuine. the shorter girl assumes this is cheryl's idea of being cordial. toni grabs the back of the chair, pulling it out and taking a seat. 

the aroma of vanilla washes over her nostrils like a tsunami. she sighs contently at the delightful scent, the sound causes cheryl to turn her head.

she glances over at toni, her eyebrow is perfectly arched and her red stained lips are pursed together. toni stares back at her with a big dopey smile plastered across her face. 

the red head glances up at down at toni before her eyes return to her book. "it's faded," she mutters. the pinkhaired girl brows knit together. "what?" 

"your pink," cheryl replies softly while turning her head, she stares deeply into her eyes. "it's faded," toni's gaze lower as she grabs a few strands of her hair, her eyes widen.

cheryl is right, her color isn't as vibrant as it usually is, typically her hair is bright pink like cotton candy, but now it's darker. she'll have to re dye, she's been putting it off for weeks, procrastinating, but now its time. 

"oh," she says. "it does that sometimes, i'll just h-" "i didn't ask what you would do," oh, so there goes the rude, snarky, self centered cheryl blossom that everyone is so greatly fond of. where has she been hiding for the past few minutes? 

"i was just letting you know," "hmm. thanks," toni murmurs. "can you stop talking to me so i can enjoy my book now?" the serpent nods, cheryl turns her head, returning back to her reading. 

toni decides she won't push the red head's buttons anymore than she already has. cheryl seems to be in an okay mood today? she isn't screaming or throwing insults at anyone so that's good.

toni fishes her phone and headphones from her pocket. she's already contemplating on sneaking out so she could be with her friends.

if she's quiet enough, she can crawl to the door then make a run for it, or just simply throw herself out the open window in the back of the classroom.

no, she told herself she would be a better student this year, she has to follow through. she has no other option but to stay, it's only 2 hours anyway.

toni shoves her earbuds into her ear, she unlocks her phone and taps on her spotify playlist.

cherry wine by hozier plays softly in her ears. her head drops to her shoulder and her eyes softly flicker closed as she hums the lyrics to the song. 

_**her eyes and words are so icy** _

_**oh, but she burns like rum on a fire** _

_**hot and fast and angry as she can be** _

_**i walk my days on a wire** _

\--

the bell rings, which startles toni, causing her to wake up. as she begins to raise her head she feels weight on her shoulder, pushing down on her.

she rubs the sleep from her eyes. when she looks down she sees a puddle on the desk beneath her. 

"gross," toni turns her head, her eyes are met with another pair. you'll never believe what she sees. 

cheryl, sleeping soundly upon toni. her lips are parted, her chest gently rises then falls. she's not snoring but she does make tiny noises that brunette finds absolutely adorable. 

her head is resting upon toni's shoulder, they must have fell asleep. the shorter girl smiles softly, her heart is overwhelmed with heat.

she's never seen cheryl look so peacefully, typically she's on the verge of biting some innocent person's head off but this is new to her.

it's truly a beautiful sight to toni. she moves the hair sticking to cheryl's face, she gently tucks it behind her ear. 

this results in the red head shifting uncomfortably, toni quickly learns that cheryl is a light sleeper. her begin to eyes flicker open, immediately meeting toni's gaze. cheryl's heart beats heavy against her chest and she lifts her head rapidly.

"what the hell are you doing?" she shrieks. "yo-you pervert!" toni chuckles then raises her head, she sits up in her seat. "come again?" "you moved me while i was asleep. yo-you pulled me closer to you,"

"cheryl," toni's has an expression on her face that basically screams " _is this bitch serious right now? like is she for real? or is she for play?_ "

"i was asleep. how could i possibly move you?" now that cheryl has time to think about her accusations, it doesn't make any sense, but, she also refuses to believe she would snuggle against toni in her sleep.

"you had to have. yo-you freak," toni scoffs in disbelief. the taller girl yanks her red bag from the floor, as she is about to lift from her seat. "cheryl wait. i didn-" toni says, placing her hand on the red head's arm trying to stop her.

she doesn't want cheryl to think she's some creep who touches people while they are asleep. although, toni knows for certain she didn't lay a finger on her. 

cheryl's mouth drops open, her eyes lower to toni's hand. her heart flutters as her breath gets caught in her throat.

she practically melts into toni's touch before she is overwhelmed with thoughts about how their interactions have been like the past few weeks. 

that night after the party, toni flirting with her river vixen after rejecting cheryl, their altercation in the cafeteria, her screaming fuck you toni infront of everyone. the joy and happiness inside of her turns to anger and disappointment. 

the flutter in cheryl's heart falters and her stomach churns. she ignores the warmth growing inside of her.

" _get_ your _sapphic_ _serpent_ _hands_ , _off_ my body!" she pulls the serpent's hand from her, and raises from the seat. her heels clack together as she pushes past the other students exiting the classroom. 

"what the hell just happened.." toni mumbles to herself. she removes her earbuds as she lifts up from her seat. she exits the classroom, making her way to the parking lot. 

once she opens the back doors, she sees cheryl's red convertible speeding off onto the road. toni exhales heavily, her boots scrape against the asphalt as she walks over to her bike. 

she hops up on the motorcycle seat, and inserts her keys into the ignition before placing her helmet upon her head. she turns the keys, revs the engine, a few seconds later she's zooming out the parking lot. 

\--

toni stands behind the bar. she's wearing a yellow crop top, a silver necklace with a snake hanging from it, black ripped skinny jeans and her hair is partially in a pony tail while the rest falls freely. 

she gently throws her head back, laughing at sweet pea's crazy antics. fangs and pea sit on the other side of the bar, laughing in between their drinks. 

"an-and that's when i-.i.. told him," sweet pea slurs. "pisss offf," fangs slams his hand against the bar, laughing uncontrollably.

the brunette throws back a shot glass filled with whiskey, the alcohol floods her tastebuds as it burns the back of her throat. 

she lowers the empty glass to the bar. "your full of shit pea," fangs says. the 3 stooges may have decided to stay back after the bar closed and have a little fun.

toni haven't been drinking as heavy as fangs and sweet pea, but she is slightly drunk also. "no, no" sweet pea laughs. "you know who's really full of shit," "oh here we go," toni says eyeballing fangs. 

when sweet pea gets wasted, he loves to rant about the things he find injustice, well sweet pea calls it ranting. fangs and toni refers to it as sweet pea talking out his ass. 

"principle fucking weatherbee," the strong scent of whiskey and rum blows from sweet pea's mouth, into the air. "oh yea," "he's totaallyy full of horse shit," fangs words are completely slurred. 

the pink haired girl busts out laughing. "i mean he's always breathing down the serpents necks, like bro find a new fucking hobby," sweet pea breathes out, raising his arms in the air then letting them fall onto the bar. 

toni smiles and slides more shot glasses across the counter, to her friends before sipping her own. "thank you tiny," fangs says, lifting the glass to his lips, his pinky points to the shorter girl. she nods her head in response.

"yea thank you tiny!" sweet pea bunches his shoulders together, bats his eyes lashes, and gives her a soft smile like a school girl talking to her crush. toni slugs his shoulder. 

"woah woah," he cried out as he lost his balance. he slips out the chair and falls onto the floor. fangs practically falls over on his stomach laughing while toni is losing it behind the bar. her stomach clenches tightly because she's laughing so hard.

sweet pea lifts from the floor, his cheeks are rosy pink but he can't help but laugh. he takes his seat on the bar stool next to fangs. after a few moments of laughing, they finally settle down. 

"but no seriously," sweet pea continues his rant while the other two drink their liquor. "we gotta deal with principals that rather see us in detention than in the classroom," fangs points at sweet pea and nods his head like that's the smartest thing pea has said all year. 

"then we have to deal with sweaty athletes that smell worse than them tiny ass jockstraps they be wearing," "you have a point pea," toni chuckles. 

"and!" sweet pea raises his glass in the air, the alcohol inside swirls around, little droplets fall onto the counter.

"if that ain't bad enough, here come snotty rich _bitches_ like _cheryl fucking blossom_ ," his laughter is the only thing that can be heard in the bar. 

the brunette's smile quickly fades, she feels a tiny bit of anger growing in the pit of her stomach. "i mean you think the _whore_ would have learned to keep her fucking mouth shut by now," sweet pea goes on, being oblivious to the fact his friend is clearly uneasy because of his words. 

"pea, i think that's enough," fangs says noticing the tension that quickly grew between them. toni's breath get's caught in her throat and the muscles in her arms tense.

she doesn't understand why she feels this way. sweet pea talks shit about all the northsiders, hell they all do, the 3 of them bond over it. but, the way sweet pea is speaking about cheryl like this, it just feels wrong. 

toni almosts feel bad for not speaking up, although these past few weeks cheryl has made her feel like nothing but garbage, part of her feels terrible for not defending her honor.

"i got some that would shut her up though," sweet pea runs his tongue along his bottom lip before he smirks smugly.

"dude," fangs is still staring at toni who is on the verge if losing it. he tries to give sweet pea a hint but he doesn't take it. "knock it off," he says defensively, but pea still doesn't get the message.

toni feels her heart thundering against her chest, she's surprised they can't hear how loud it's beating. she crosses her arms together and gnaws on her fingernails, trying to ease some of her nerves.

_don't let him talk about cheryl like that._

_she's not the cold hearted bitch everyone thinks she is, you know this._

_she was there for you multiple times that night._

_you know there is more to her than what everyone else sees._

_it's all a just act. she let you see the real cheryl that night._

_you have to take up for her._

there's so much rage and resentment building inside of her. she doesn't have the strength to drown out the sound of her thoughts. they have taken control and are practically screaming at her. it's too much, toni swears she's going to explode.

"yeah. i got something reaal special in myy pants that can make that bitch keep quiet," sweet pea's laughter is cut short by the sound of glass shattering on the floor. 

toni's hands grip tightly against his collar, she pulls him over the counter. "watch your fucking mouth," her breath brushes against sweet pea's lips.

his smile instantly fades, and he looks up into toni's eyes. when he does, he sees nothing but anger staring back at him. 

"woah woah woah," he raises his hands in surrender. "okay i'll back off," toni releases her grip and pushes sweet pea back, he flops down back onto his stool. 

he adjusts his serpent jacket and flips his collar. "since when do you take up for snotty northsiders,"

"cheryl isn't like that," toni says faster than she can stop herself. she's still on edge, her hand shakes anxiously on top of the bar's counter. 

"what do you mean she's not like that? she dissed all the serpents calling us rats, including _you_ ,"

"i know that," she replies. "then wh-" "god pea just fucking drop it," fangs chimes in, ending the bickering back and forth between the two. 

"tonight is a good night," he places left hand on sweet pea's jacket then places his right on toni's exposed shoulder. she jumps a little from the cold sensation from his palm.

"the north siders aren't here. it's just us, the 3 amigos!" he chuckles and receives a soft smile from toni. "so can we please just have a good fucking night," 

"defiantly. i'm sorry tiny," him and fangs look over to toni waiting for a response. she rolls her eyes softly. "fine, we can have fun," she gives in. fangs shake her shoulder playfully.

"hooray!" him and sweet pea cheers, the 3 slam their glasses together then return back to their jokes and conversations about other things. 

while they are joking around and having a good time they hear the door to the bar creak open. or course, sweet pea forgot to close and lock it when they closed, he was far too eager to begin the drinking. "hey were closed," toni laughs, her eyes never leave her friends.

instead of hearing the door open again, they hear footsteps coming closer to the counter. "hey!" toni's is clearly annoyed and somewhat angry. 

"didn't you hear me. wer-" her head maneuvers around sweet pea's head to see 3 guys standing a few inches away from the bar. 

the guy in the middle who toni recognizes to be kurtz, the leader of the ghoulies. to his right stands a boy much taller.

his hair is dark black, it's like a mop, somewhat like sweet pea's hair but longer. his eyes are dark blue and he has a few open cuts spread out across his face. 

to kurtz right is another male, this one is toni's skin tone but a little bit darker. he has a low cut, narrow dark brown eyes that glare angrily at sweet pea who's back is still turned to them. the guy's lips are pursed together and he look like he's ready to pounce. 

toni breath gets caught in her throat which causes fangs and sweet pea laughs to halt and they turn around. they both raise from their seats while the ghoulies step closer to them. "what the hell are you doing here," sweet pea hisses.

his breath brushes against kurtz sly smile. "what. can't a guy get a drink?" his voice is raspy and low. the serpents know their intentions, and it isn't to _get_ _drinks_ , it's to start trouble. 

"make me a drink bartender," "fuck you," toni growls. "what was that bitch?" he says walking closer to toni, who steps away from the counter. kurtz's actions are stopped but fangs who steps infront of him, blocking his access to toni. an evil laugh slips from kurtz lips. 

"what? do you think i was going to hurt her?" "leave kurtz. before i make you," sweet pea threatens. the gang member looks back at the taller boy before his eyes return to fangs's gaze.

fangs's body is completely stiff, that is besides his hand shaking uncontrollably. "i'd rather stay, seeing as though your friend here got a lot to say," 

"leave her alone," fangs says under his breath, he digs his nails deep into his palm breaking skin. "why?" kurtz looks over at toni who moved back behind the counter.

she's looking over at sweet pea and she grows anxious because she knows sweet pea is seconds away from exploding. he's always been a ticking time bomb that her and fangs tries to defuse.

"can't i just loosen her up? show the girl a good time," "lord knows the _bitch_ has had plenty of them," all sweet pea wants to do is wipe that stupid grin off from kurtz's face.

he turns around and raises his fist "pea do-" glass shatters against the counter, startling everyone causing them to freeze.

they all glance over to where the sound came from, next to the counter. fangs is holding a broken beer bottle in his hand, while blood drips from his hand and onto the floor. 

"fangs don't!" toni yells, reaching out to stop him but before she can, fangs smashes the bottle against kurtz head. kurtz fall to the ground clutching the side of his face where blood gushing out. 

the ghoulie with the low cut runs into sweet pea, catching him off guard, then he punches him in the face. the serpent wraps his arms around the ghoulie's waist, shoves his head into his stomach then body slams him against the wooden table, ultimately breaking it in half. the rings on sweet pea's fingers scrape gang member's face while they both hit each other.

fangs's hand grabs onto kurtz's bloody shirt, lifting him from the floor. he's still dazed but manages to punch fangs in the face. blood splatters from fangs mouth and lands on kurtz. he loses control and starts pummeling him with punches. blood from his knuckles trickle down, staining his dark denim jeans. 

the taller ghoulie runs over to toni, smashing his fist against her face. "ah!" she shrieks. blood splatters from her mouth and onto the floor, a bruise is left behind on her cheek.

adrenaline is coursing through her veins, rage is emitting from her stomach. the ghoulie swings at her again, but this time toni dodges the punch.

she kicks him in his balls and he tumbles over onto the floor. toni jumps ontop of him, her fist slams into the ghoulie's jaw. the two of them begin fighting while fangs and sweet pea fight the other gang members.

\--

toni sits on the bathroom floor with her legs stretched out. she's wearing a white tank top, black booty shorts, and white socks.

she dabs a cotton ball soaked in alcohol against the open cuts spread out on her shoulder. toni winces at the pain but continues to clean the wounds. 

"ouch," she groans. "it doesn't hurt," fangs laughs teasingly. he stands behind toni, his abs are exposed and so is the snake tattoo carved into his shoulder, along with other tattoos he has across his body. 

what this means is, yes, fangs is completely shirtless. but, he is wearing black shorts, white socks and a gold chain hangs from his neck. 

he pours more dye from the squirt bottle onto toni's soaking wet hair. he places the bottle back onto the sink's counter then scrubs his fingers into her scalp, spreading the dye. 

"no, but getting cut with glass does," she mocks. fangs smile fades, his fingers stop moving and he becomes embarrassed by his actions earlier. "erm sorry," he returns back to scrubbing. 

toni sighs heavily then drops the bloody cotton balls next to her butt. "what the hell happened anyway?" "yea fangs," sweet pea blurts out from the living room.

he's sprung out on the couch in a white tank top, light blue boxers and black socks. a huge bowl of popcorn sits in his lap while his eyes are glued to the television screen, as he watches shameless on netflix. 

"usually i'm the one that's the ticking time bomb," he laughs. "shut it pea," fangs bite back. "whatever," he's back to stuffing his face with buttery popcorn.

"i just.." fangs trails off, toni turns her head sideways to look at him. she's sees that he's nervous, and can't find the right words to say. she's not upset with him or anything, it's just like sweet pea said.

out of the three, fangs usually has the most self control. sweet pea has none at all while toni's level of self control usually depends on who she's dealing with. 

"i just didn't like the way kurtz talked about you," "i was fine," toni says softly, she raises her arm to place her hand on fangs's arm and squeezes softly.

this brings comfort to the dark haired boy, and he smiles a little. "i know," his eyes leave her gaze to return back to her hair.

toni lowers her arm, allowing her hand to fall into her lap, as her head turns back around to face the living room. 

"i know your strong and can defend yourself..it's just. i always feel the need to protect you," 

it's true, sweet pea and fangs are protecting or defending toni. of course she has no trouble fighting her own battles, but, that doesn't stop sweet pea and fangs from wanting to fight them for her. 

before toni got joined the serpents, the three of them were already close. their parents were great friends so naturally they grew closer to each other.

they would always hang out, have sleep overs at each other's trailers, go on trips together. the boys were her best friends, her only friends really. 

toni always had a hard time fitting in, since she was mostly seen as a tom boy when she was younger, it was harder for her to make girl friends. 

after her father passed away, she had no where to channel her anger so she would act up at school so she could feel a sense of control. she would skip classes, she got into fights at school, and or course the fights only grew worse after she joined the serpents. 

sweet pea and fangs were always there for her though. when her father died, after her mother disappeared they took care of her, even though they were only kids themselves.

they did their best to protect her from pain, wether that pain be physical or emotional, they didn't want her to feel any of it, and as toni became older, the boys only grew more protective of her. 

they treat her like their little sister. the one they constantly have to look after and break faces because of. and to toni, they are her brothers, they are the family she always wished to have. 

sweet pea is like the older brother. the one that usually causes the most trouble and gets into the most fights. fangs is the more chill and mellow one, but when it comes to toni they both will lose their shit in a matter of seconds. 

fangs explaining to her that he felt the need to defend her, reminded toni of earlier in the bar when she felt the need to defend cheryl from sweet pea's bullshit.

she thinks back to when he basically called her an _idiot_ for taking up for cheryl blossom. someone who was born with a silver spoon in their mouth and will never understand the hardships and troubles that people like the serpents have to face on a daily basis.

"hey fangs," she says quietly, so that sweet pea doesn't hear their conversation from the other room, fangs has more sense than he does. fangs is pretty open minded, and he's actually very intelligent. it's just he doesn't say much in class. 

pea has the brains of well..a pea, meaning he doesn't have any. "mhm," fangs hums softly. "do you think i let cheryl walk all over me?"

fangs eyebrows knit together, he pokes his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "like..do you think i don't stand up for myself?" 

"i think you kinda don't," toni wasn't expecting that response. she knows he isn't referring to her as weak but she's still confused by his statement.

"what do you mean?" she questions. fangs squirts more dye onto her hair before continuing. "i think sometimes you go easy on cheryl," 

toni mouth drops open, she's about to rebuttal but fangs cuts her off before she can. "if someone else said half the things cheryl has said to us or well, _you_ , you would've knocked their teeth out by now with no hesitation," 

toni chuckles softly because it's true. like it was said before, she has been in many fights throughout her life. most of the time she doesn't even need a reason to fight, she's just ready to pounce. 

"but with cheryl. it almost like you have a soft spot for her. you defend her and take up for her when she has been nothing but evil and nasty to you..hell to all of _us_ ," "that's true. she has been," toni says to fangs but mostly she's talking to herself. 

"it's just.." she trails off. she's been confused these past few weeks with cheryl's behavior and she feels the need to confide in someone, it's hard keeping these thoughts and emotions bottled in.

"that night at chuck's party," she blurts out faster than she can stop. "mhm," fangs hums, waiting for toni to continue. before she does, she takes a deep breath because her heart is beating fast and she needs to process the right words to say. "i got really wasted, well i already was..shit face wasted. but, when you guys got arrested..cheryl helped sneak me out so i didn't," 

"she was actually really determined to get me out the house," "really?" fangs voice is filled with disbelief and uncertainty. 

"yeah," toni says, she bites the corner of her lip trying to supress a smile. the thought of cheryl being so protective that night makes her heart want to explode into a million pieces.

"and like i said i was really drunk and you had your keys so she drove me home," toni continues. "and fangs, when i was with her i felt safe,"

the serpent's eyes widen, his hands freeze on toni's head and he looks down at her. she looks calm while she sits on the tiles, probably the most calm he's seen her in a while.

fangs understands the sense of peace that toni felt that night. he notices this, not only from seeing the smile she has on her face right now, but also from hearing the way she describes what happened.

he believes the moment she spent with cheryl meant a lot to her, and he wonders if he's the first person toni have shared it. 

"safe enough to tell her a lot of things i've kept hidden inside of me for years,"

"she didn't push you away?" the serpent asks, he's back to scrubbing her scalp. some of the dye drips down onto her neck and tank top but toni doesn't care. 

"no, the opposite. she held me the entire time that i cried. i-it was like she knew how to comfort me," "her touch and her hold made everything feel better. it made the pain in my heart feel lighter" "it became easier to carry," toni says, as all of this is spilling out her cheeks flush.

she can't ignore the warmth of her skin, she feels like she's on cloud nine just thinking about cheryl.

her big brown eyes shimmer and she bites her bottom lip, refraining herself from smiling. "wow. that doesn't sound like the cheryl blossom we've met," 

"that's the thing fangs. there's so much more to her than she shows," "it's like she hides the soft, nurturing side of herself from the world,"

"b-bu-but...i've seen her vulnerable and it was pretty fucking amazing," toni breathes out excitedly and proud, like she just won the lottery. a smile tugs softly at her lips. 

"it sounds like you might have feelings for cheryl," fangs admits to her. the shorter girl's feels butterflies in her stomach as she thinks back to that night.

the heat flaring on her skin which wasn't because of the alcohol in her system, no it was from feeling cheryl's skin against hers. 

toni gets lost in her about the red head's hips grinding against her front. whew, toni felt so weak in her knees she swore they were gonna give out and she would collapse but she wouldn't care, she was happy. cheryl is hands down the most beautiful girl toni has ever laid her eyes on.

her vibrant red hair that cascades down her shoulders. the short skirts she wears that are always accompanied by long beautiful slender legs. her features always manages to steal toni's breath away from her lungs.

her hazy brown eyes has the serpent so mesmerized she never wants to leave their gaze. her plush lips that are always coated in bright beautiful red velvet lipstick. 

toni's then thinks back to kiss the two shared that night, her heart instantly sinks to her stomach and she bites the inside of of her cheek.

she refrains from opening up about the kiss to fangs. yes he's like her brother but he doesn't need to know that toni fell out cheryl's car and ran awkwardly into her trailer, ultimately pushing cheryl away. 

maybe that's why she's been acting so vicious towards her. she's never had a problem with the serpents before, well not that toni knew of. but ever since that night it's like she's has a vendetta against them, why?

"tiny," fangs calls out, pulling toni away from her thoughts. "huh?" the serpents laughs softly. "where did you go. i lost you," 

"oh sorry," "she's probably tired cause your taking so long. my grandma washes hair faster than you!" sweet pea teases from the couch. "that's it," 

fangs runs out the bathroom and jumps onto the couch. sweet pea grabs onto fangs hair and starts pulling him while the other serpent punches him in the face. "DICK! YOU'RE GETTING DYE ON MY SHIRT!" sweet pea yells. toni laughs as she watches them from the bathroom. 

they toss and turn on the couch, neither of them releasing their grip. eventually they knock over the bowl of popcorn. "woah!" sweet pea falls off the couch and fangs falls on top of him. "damn!" sweet pea grunts because of his injuries from the ghoulie fight, but that doesn't stop fangs. 

he continues hitting him. they both hear creaks in the floorboard as toni walks over to them. "tiny! help!" sweet pea cries out, trying to move his face from fangs hits. "no, no, no" she laughs out before picking up the popcorn bowl, there's still some pieces stuck to the bottom. 

she holds the bowl tightly in her arms then flops down on the couch, her legs are sprung out, her feet tangles together and her arms are still clutching the bowl. "you two are on your own," she grabs some popcorn from the bowl then throws it back into her mouth. 

"tiny!" sweet pea growls, but, his hoarse voice doesn't instill any fear in her. she throws a few pieces of popcorn at them. "fight, fight, fight!" she chants, enjoying every second of this.

fangs hops off sweet pea, deciding he's had enough. he runs over to the couch and grabs toni "fangs!" she yelps. he easily drags her from the couch, while having her in a head lock. she punches him hard in his stomach.

"damn toni" he groans and laughs but never lets go. he lifts her up, like she's as light as a feather, because really she is, and he props her up on his back. 

toni tries to squirm out of fangs's arms, she kicks her feet and punches him in his back but he only laughs. sweet pea lifts himself off from the floor, he almost slips because of his socks, as he runs over to fangs and tiny.

sweet pea then slowly throws punches, ever so softly into her in her back, like she's a delicate punching bag that he doesn't want to bust. 

"you assholes!" she cries out, but is lowkey having fun. the 3 of them laugh uncontrollably as they continue fighting. after half an hour of goofing off, and fangs finishing toni's hair, the gang is completely beat.

sweet pea falls asleep first, of course, but, thankfully the couch in fang's trailer is big enough for the 3 of them. fangs falls asleep second, with his head buried into toni's lap. 

she runs her fingers through his jet black hair as he's snores softly. sweet pea on the other hand, is snoring loud enough for the whole damn trailer park to hear.

he literally sounds like a grizzly bear, and toni is surprised fangs can even sleep with such racket around him.

and, if sweet pea's snoring isn't bad enough, he's leaving drool behind on toni's right shoulder. she has half a mind to push him off the couch, but she refrains from it.

she looks down at both of her friends and smiles contently. it is in this moment, that toni realizes, this is what home means to her. 

having people who are always there for you, ones you share a countless amount of memories with.

some amazing and breath taking, others dreadful and horrid, but through the good and bad times, through thick and thin, they will always love you unconditionally.

it wasn't until she met fangs and sweet pea that she realized the true definition of family. not like the one she had with her mother who preferred getting high over spending time with her daughter. 

every night toni asks god what she'd do to be lucky enough to have people like fangs and sweet pea in her life.

people who are willing to give her the world if they could, because in their eyes toni deserves every part of it. they mean everything to her, and she means everything to them. 

as time passes, toni eventually doze off while watching the last few episodes of shameless season 8. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did terrible with ending this chapter, hate me later guys
> 
> i wanted to keep this simple, it's still pretty long ik. honestly i don't make the chapters hella long on purpose. ig i just type way too much, if you don't like it lemme know i'll try to limit it. 
> 
> i gave you guys a tiny soft choni moment this time. ooop. toni finally shared her thoughts about what happened that night in cheryl's car with someone else.
> 
> were getting closer to finding out why the hell she rejected our good sis cheryl. toni also realized there might something hidden deep inside of her. 
> 
> something that has her falling hard for a certain redhead (wink wink) damn has toni really been oblivious to her feelings this entire time? what you guys think? 
> 
> also! ik this chapter was mostly just about the 3 stooges and their friendship. don't you guys think it's cute? cause i think their friendship is pretty fucking adorable. i love them and want so much more for them in the next szn. hopefully the writers give them more scenes together causeee i need it. 
> 
> anddd ofc more will happen in the future, just be patient, we gone get into everything, i promise ;)
> 
> i don't wanna rush the story cause then i'll grow bored of it fast. remember to give feedback and leave comments. i respond to every single one. (no really i love them) 
> 
> next update should be posted next week! i did somewhat good at posting on schedule. andd until we meet again :)


	5. lately, i've been watchin' your movements if i'm the only one that your'e choosin' am i your favorite drug you been usin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> heyy guys, ik i havent been posting consistently like i promised. tbh i haven't really had any motivation these past few days or weeks idk. truth is lately, i've been in a pretty dark head space but. i was rewatching szn 2  
> choni's best moments. in my opinion and yeah i miss my babies and i've gained enough motivation to post
> 
> this chapter has less of the 3 stooges and more choni bc this fanfic is mainly about them sooo yeah. but i will try to include other characters friendships and all that. we don't get to see much friendship development on the show so i'll try.
> 
> i'm rambling at this point. long story short! i'm ready for chonidale so i decided to post today, here is the fic. hope you guys enjoy, even if you don't, thanks for making it this far anyway.
> 
> lmao i just realized like every chapter i have posted has a tw. this one doesn't have any, but part 2 does so, please read the summary boxes before reading the chapters. i don't want anyone getting hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay guys. this week is going to be kinda different. this chapter is really long so i'm going to split it. i won't do this often, there is just more i wanted to touch up upon that i wasn't able to. this didn't go how i planned so i'm just gonna improvise. i'm not going to wait another week to post the rest, i'll just post both chapters at the same time once i finish them. it's going to be a lot happening in the next one so prepare. plus i didn't post for like 2 weeks so this is like my idea of an apology? idk. the next chapter covers more.

toni topaz walked through the halls of riverdale high with her bag slung over her shoulder, text books hoisted against her waist and her head held high.

unlike the other students who were upset about being forced out of their comfortable warm beds at 7 in the morning, to attend a school that has a terrible education system, toni was actually excited to come.

the brunette picked at her lock, opening her locker and setting her books inside. her first period is psychology, one of her favorite classes. toni rummages through the messy space, pushing through walled up paper, magazines and candy wrappers, which were left behind by sweet pea or either fangs, she can't remember.

as she is searching for her book, a set of familiar voices can be heard in the hall. "hey toni!" the serpent turns her head to see betty and veronica standing behind her.

their arms are linked together and, veronica appears to be very enthusiastic. toni can tell by the tone of her voice and the bright smile that wears upon her purple stained lips so freely.

betty on the other hand, looks as if she too woke up on the wrong side of the bed, like everyone else this morning. veronica is holding a cardboard tray, in her right hand, that accompanies 4 starbucks cups.

"good morning ladies." toni says shifting her body to face the vixens before her. "coffee?" veronica offers, holding out the tray of beverages.

the shorter girl's orbs widen a little, and her mouth falls open, scoffing in surprise. "you bought me coffee?" this time the blonde speaks up and for a minute toni forgot she was even there.

"well.." betty trails off, her gaze drops to the floor. she rocks back and forth on her heels before her eyes meet toni's again. "the coffee was _actually_ for josie."

"but." veronica cuts in. "she's going to be a little late this morning." the raven girl grits her teeth, rolling her eyes, almost as if she's slighty disappointed by her friend's tardiness.

"so, she's probably going to stop somewhere on the way. right v?" betty looks over to her frend who gives her a tight lip smile as she sways back and forth upon her louboutins.

"right betts." "are you sure?" toni questions as she slowly reaches out her hand. "of course!" veronica smiles softly. "josie won't care." the serpent eyes trace back and forth from veronica to betty, with the intent to spot any hesitation but the shorter girl doesn't find any.

as her hand makes contact with the cup, the latina holds the tray steady so toni can grab the coffee. she pulls the drink from the tray, and tightening her grip around it.

"thank you." she chuckles. "you welcome toni." betty gives her a warm smile and the pink haired girl swears it's the happiest she has seen her all morning.

"it's a mocha cookie crumble frappuccino!" veronica blurts out, blushing. toni grins widely at her outburst, seeing veronica flustered is so cute. she wraps her plump lips around the straw, taking a sip from the mocha.

"i-i hope that's okay," veronica waves her hand nonchalantly. "it's josie's favorite. me and betty here." she makes eye contact with the girl to her left.

"we prefer the salted caramel frappuccinos." betty nods her head animatedly agreeing. "but, that's the one josie likes so.. i hope it's okay cause if no-"

"veronica," toni places her hand upon the raven girl's skin, causing her lips to part and her rambling to stop, because toni really doesn't need to hear it. "the coffee is amazing. thank you."

they both nod their heads, insiuating "you welcome" toni's hand falls to her side and the vixens begin to disappear off to their 1st periods but- "wait!" the two friends stop in their tracks, and turns around to face her.

"actually betty..um. me jug were talking and-" she begins to say but is cut off by a delicate voice. "oh yeah." her hands tighten around the text book being held against her light blue skirt. "he told me you were interested in joining the blue and gold."

"yeah, i mean if your willing to have me." she breathes out nervously. "of course toni. juggie showed me your instagram feed and i have to say, i was quite impressed."

the serpent's eyes fall to the ground as a blush graces her caramel skin cheeks. "thanks." she replies bashfully and runs her nails through bright pink curls.

"why don't we meet afterschool today? so we can talk more." "that would be great!" toni responds faster than she can stop herself.

"actually." she groans. "i can't today. i have detention." "oh yeah." betty's light blue eyes wander elsewhere. "were so sorry about that." veronica says breaking her silence.

"it wasn't your fault." toni says shooting them a genuine smile. "we know but-" veronica glances at betty then at the brunette. "we shouldv'e been there. at least to simmer down cheryl's irrational behavior." veronica ends her sentence with an eye roll and grunt.

"it's okay, really." "well how about tomorrow?" the vixen offers. "that would be great. thanks betty." before their conversation can continue, a flash of red appears in toni's peripheral. "veronica. cousin."

"speaking of the devil himself." veronica mumbles, but the other two girls heard her perfectly clear. toni laughs and betty nudges the latina's arm. the sound of heels clacking together grows rapidly in the halls of riverdale, before cheryl blossom appears behind the two girls.

the red head is wearing black stilettos, a dark red and black plaid skirt, a black sweater that hugs her cleavage perfectly and her sweater is accompanied by a bright red spider broach. cheryl's copper hair cascades down her back, curls falling perfectly and effortlessly as she makes her way closer to them.

toni can't pry her eyes away from said girl. it's almost as if she's hypnotized. in a trance. hell did this beautiful red headed goddess put a spell upon her?

while, on the other hand, the river vixens captain doesn't make any effort to even glance in toni's direction. in cheryl's mind, the southside serpent standing there, isn't deserving of her time let alone her attention.

toni shouldn't even be allowed to breathe the same air as her. this is _cheryl_ _blossom's_ world, while little miss smurfette is just living in it.

"is that for me?" the taller girl grabs the cup filled with coffee, white creme and pink sprinkles from the tray before anyone can respond. "well good morning to you to cheryl. and yes." betty and veronica both turn to face her before the dark haired girl continues. "toasted white chocolate frappuccino, just how you like it." cheryl nods as she sips from her drink. "thank you."

_oh so her parents did teach her manners, shocking. toni thinks to herself._

"also." her red stained lips tugs into a false smile. "good morning cousin betty and ronnie." "cheryl.." veronica glances back at toni who stands at her locker taking in the interaction shared between them.

"toni is here also." "hmm." the blossom girl hums softly while taking another sip from her drink. "didn't realize. _hello_ _scum_." she grins smugly but maintains eye contact with veronica.

toni scoffs in disbelief. she'd be lying if she said she wasn't tired of the red head's bullshit and her stuck up ass attitude. just because she's from the north side doesn't mean she needs act like a stuck up bitch all the time.

_actually she does because she's cheryl blossom._

"wow cheryl. don't you think it's a little too early in the morning to already be acting like..." toni rolls her eyes and bunches her shoulders together. "i don't know..a stuck up, snobby bitch." she hisses, but, cheryl doesn't flinch at her insult nor does she look at her. 

the latina and blonde eyes bounce back and forth between the two, nervously. veronica's lips quirk to the side and betty bites the inside of her cheek. they both are so surprised by the toni's comeback, that they lose sight of their words.

cheryl doesn't throw any hate back at the serpent. she responds by huffing angrily "whatever." she growls before strutting off to class, completely unfazed.

actually cheryl wasn't _completely unfazed._ her heart clenched once the toni referred to her as a bitch. yes she is one, but toni has never called her that before. if anyone asks though, cheryl wouldn't hesitate to tell them she is _indeed_ unbothered.

veronica and betty both turn to face the shorter girl. "sorry about that toni." veronica says apologetically. "it's okay. i don't expect for cheryl blossom to learn empathy overnight."

the latina nods before her and betty begin to walk away. "have a good day toni." betty calls out softly, glancing over her shoulder. "you two betty." the blonde gives her a fragile smile as a thank you. after the two vixens disappear into the sea of students, toni returns back to her search for the missing psychology book.

\--

since mr.martin, won't spare the brunette if she shows up late again. toni decides it's in her best interest to arrive on time today.

her combat boots scuffs against the floor as she walks inside the classroom. once she makes it inside, the late bell rings, signaling the start of detention.

a millisecond away from tardiness, hey, at least she still made it. toni spots the red head sitting at a table closest to the door, like she usually does.

the serpent walks closer to the table. instead of cheryl's head being planted in one of her mystery murder books, today it looks as if she's working on something else. 

toni being the easily intrigued, curious girl that she is, maneuvers around the table and closer to cheryl. her eyes dart down to the open sketch book laying across the table. 

the serpent catches a glimpse of what seems to be a male figure drawn on the sheet of paper. his slender nose curves perfectly. dark pencil strokes capture arched eyebrows above narrow eyes, while his pupils are darkly shaded. dark lines and curves elegantly draws out hair that tucks behind the boys ears and falls onto the right side of his head.

his lips are drawn in full curves. he isn't smiling nor is he frowning. toni believes that he appears to be somewhat content, in the portrait.

the sketch is drawn with so much emotion, realism, and passion that if toni didn't see the no.2 pencil in the red head's hand running across the paper, she would've assumed the drawing was a photo and not a sketch. she's never portrayed cheryl to be an artist but her eyes are surely telling her other wise.

cheryl is so invested in her work that she doesn't notice the serpent watching her every move. big brown orbs trace every move and mark cheryl makes. toni is over consumed with awe as her mouth gapes open.

she watches the artist drag her pencil across the pages so effortlessly, not lazily but carelessly, and naturally. almost as if drawing such a masterpiece comes so naturally to her.

cheryl is currently shading dark grey clouds above the male's head. he's dressed in what toni assumes is a button upon collared shirt and pants. he's drawn in the center of the page, while everything behind him is shaded darker than the boy himself. he's actually drawn much lighter and with more detail, and realism. to toni it looks as if, somehow, light radiates from him.

there are dark heavy clouds, withering trees, pebbles, rocks, and a large body of water behind him. for a minute toni believes she's seen this setting before, somewhere in riverdale, but, she can't put her finger on it so she just shrugs the thought away and return her attention to the drawing.

his body faces the water, while his head faces the opposite direction. he's glancing back. cheryl drew his arm and hand reaching out to the direction that his gaze follows. as toni squints, she notices the sparkle lightly drawn in his right pupil.

the boy is looking back, almost like he's reaching out to someone or something behind him but what? although the features of his face are perfectly represented upon the pages, toni can't recognize who he is.

toni is no longer able to contain her excitement, words slip through her lips before she can stop them. "wow." she breathes out heavily. her eyes are wide and shining bright, she looks like a little kid in a candy shop.

the red head slams the sketchbook shut, which startles both girls, causing them to jump. toni's smile quickly falters once she realizes her mistake.

"haven't you been taught not to sne-" cheryl's words are dripping with hatred and venom. if toni wasn't a member of a malicious, violent gang, having to deal with dangerous murderers and criminals on a daily, she wouldv'e been afraid, but she wasn't. before she could finish her words, her eyes are met with beautiful dark brown orbs.

the cheerleader eyes travel from the serpents gaze, down to the purple bruise that graces her cheek and the open cut beneath her right eye. cheryl's breath gets stuck inside of her, "toni."

she leans over the chair next to her, pulling onto the lapels of toni's jacket, bringing her closer. the serpent trips over her own foot and her elbow slams into the seat of the chair. toni winces at the sensation of pain that shoots through her body. as there are more cuts and bruises hidden beneath her clothes.

before toni can fully fall into the chair, she's caught by cheryl's hand cupping her jawline and lifting her head to meet the red head's soft gaze.

their faces are inches apart and the brunette's swears her heart is going to escape from her body and skip town. her breathing shudders and she bites the inside of her cheek, afraid to speak because her voice might betray her and quiver.

cheryl runs the padding of her thumb gently against the brunette's bruised skin. the gesture is so intimate that the serpent melts into her grasp like silly putty. "what happened to you?!"

toni is pulled away from the warm sensations running ever so freely through her. she returns back to reality by the sound of worry laced inside cheryl's voice.

the brunette clears her throat before speaking. "since when do you care about a serpent." toni tries to hiss but her words crack anyway. she pulls away from taller girl's grasp. she quickly misses the warmth, but, for these past few weeks cheryl has been sending her nothing but mixed signals. toni's level of patience is running out and she's beginning to grow agitated.

a soft sigh slips between cheryl's parted lips, her gaze lowers to the wooden table and part of the gang member feels somewhat bad. she sees a flash of what toni believes to be sadness inside cheryl's beautiful cocoa eyes but it's disappears too quickly for her to confirm.

the pink haired girl plops down into the seat, without even asking. as she makes an attempt to pull her cell phone and earbuds out from her bag that rests against the floor, a rapid growth of heat forms around her hand.

toni's orbs immediately raise, traveling over to the girl next to her. her gaze lowers to the palm tracing circles against her skin and toni truly believes that her eyes are playing tricks on her.

is _cheryl blossom_ , _queen bee_ , miss _hbic_ of riverdale high, caressing a _south side_ serpent? 

"toni i know i can sometimes be-..." she trails off "a bitch." "sometimes?" toni scoffs, staring at her in disbelief. sometimes would be an understatement, cheryl has made the serpents lives a living hell these past few weeks, _especially_ toni's.

"okay all the time." cheryl rolls her eyes before continuing. "but i don't want you to get hurt. not really..."i'm fine." toni brushes off. "me, pea, and fangs got into a fight with a rival gang. that's all." "no biggie."

"just be careful next time toni. _please_." the serpent's eyebrows knit together, did she just hear that correctly?

since when did the red head care about toni's well being? did cheryl blossom's ice cold heart somehow melt over night? toni truly believed it was made out of stone, if so, how the hell did it crack in a matter of minutes?

before toni can form any words, cheryl unlocks her phone and places her earbuds inside her ears. insinuating that the conversation shared between the two is now over and toni is so overwhelmed with shock that she doesn't have it in her to rebuttal.

\--

"alright delinquents." the pinkette rolls her eyes for what seems to be the 10th time today. "i will be back. don't do anything that would land you in trouble. it would be a shame to have to see your faces again for another next week." mr.martin disappears off into the hallway, leaving the students behind unsupervised.

a light bulb flickers inside toni's head. she nudges her elbow into the red head's arm. lana del rey streams softly in cheryl's, who was slowly nodding off, ears. she's humming the melody to 'happiness is a butterfly', when toni gets her attention.

she yanks her earbuds out and leans in closer to the serpent. "lets ditch." toni whispers with a wide grin plastered across her face. the warmth of her breath washes over cheryl's face, invading her nostrils with bubble gum and mango scented lip gloss.

the red head sighs contently before fully processing her proposition. "hmm." "wait..what?" "you and me. let's leave." toni repeats, this time a little more excitedly. "are you crazy?! we'll get caught."

"who cares, it's our last day." toni shrugs her shoulders carelessly. "plus you'll be with me blossom. i know how to skip class and not get caught."

"your insane." cheryl scoffs returning to her phone. "never would've guess that the _hbic_ of riverdale high, would be afraid to cut class." cheryl stares into toni's eyes with parted lips. she wants to speak but can't find the right words.

"suit yourself." the serpent grabs her bag from the floor and lifts off her seat. "i'm leaving." her head points to the door on her right before she walks over to it. she pauses for a seconds before speaking. "are you coming or not?" "last chance."

the red head glances back at the other students in detention. half of them have their faces buried into their cell phone screens, while, the other half have dozed off due to boredom. "where would we go?" cheryl grows curious. "it's a surprise." toni chuckles.

_god_ , that raspy slightly hoarse voice of hers is nothing but _addicting_. 

for the first time today, cheryl feels warmth wash over her heart like a tsunami. she weighs her options before giving the shorter girl a response.

she really wasn't doing anything with her time anyway. just nodding off to music which is something she could do anytime, anywhere. despite these past few weeks of bickering and fighting with the pink haired serpent, cheryl _has_ missed the time they once shared together.

can she really manage to hold a grudge against toni forever? how could cheryl possibly trust her again after what happened? for all she knows toni might wind up ditching her like she did before.

but, before the vixen can think rationally, her legs are lifting from the seat as her hand subconsciously reaches for her bright red bag hanging on the back of the chair.

her arms slides through the straps of the bag, she grabs her phone and headphones from the table. her heels clack together as she walks over to the door where toni stands, smiling so hard the red head's afraid the poor girl's face might split into two.

the serpent stares at the girl to her left, admiring the beauty that graces cheryl's features so naturally. "well." cheryl says breaking toni's gaze.

"my interest is peaked. are we going to just stand here or are you going to lead the way little miss smurfette?" the red head eyebrow arches slightly and toni responds by capturing her bottom lip between her teeth and nodding her head.

the two make their way out of the classroom and down the halls of riverdale high.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who do you think cheryl was drawing? where the hell is toni taking them? i kinda like the idea of veronica and betty interacting with toni more than they do on the show, that's why i included that bit about them at toni's locker. 
> 
> i feel like veronica and toni could be close friends plus i lowkey ship lopaz. not heavy tho bc choni are my babies ofc. i would never ship v and t based upon chemistry, purely upon appearance. choni will always be endgame and maybe betty and toni could bond over the blue and gold, and like photography. idk. if toni found out about how betty black mailed cheryl in szn 2, she would probably rip betty's pony tail off and feed it to the wolves. i wouldn't expect anything less from her. 
> 
> but, the second part to this chapter is now posted. i really hate having to split it but it would be waaayy too long to read and i'm too excited to wait another week to post so it's up. i hope you guys enjoy it! please let me know what you think of the fic so far. leave feedback and comments and thanks for the reads :)


	6. and you made me laugh when i was losing it 'cause you are, you are the reason why i'm still hangin' on 'cause you are, you are the reason why my head is still above water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter picks up from the previous one like i explained. OMG THIS FIC IS ALREADY AT 36005 WORDS?! ugh! i feel its going to have so many freaking words. sorry. i'm just being a little insecure in my writing. 
> 
> anyway, in this cheryl opens up. i actually started the fic with toni opening up to her first because in previous seasons the writers didn't give toni a personality, she was mostly just seen as cheryl's girlfriend. 
> 
> this is strictly my opinion and you aren't obligated to agree
> 
> but, we rarely ever saw toni show emotions or be vulnerable so i wanted to include more of it. this fic isn't suppose to be like mostly toni's pov or mostly about cheryl's. it's split because this is about how they fell in love and how choni came to be. just wanted to throw that out there. also this chapter is 99% choni so enjoy babes :p

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw- depression, suicide, and brief mention of abuse
> 
> this is like 50 angst 50 fluff. TONI IS A BIG SOFTIE AND SO PATIENT IN THIS CHAPTER. IT'S LITERALLY SO CUTE 
> 
> i tried to include a lot of fluff, since the topics discussed in this are pretty heavy. so brace yourselves and lets get into it ;)

since detention is scheduled later in the afternoon, the hallways are deserted and quiet. if cheryl dropped a pen on the floor, she was a hundred percent, sure that someone miles away could hear it. 

most of the students were off the school's premises, while the ones staying behind for after school activities were ducked off inside classrooms or inside the gym. sometimes drama club met in the auditorium, but because there are no upcoming plays, that space is also unoccupied. 

"why are you so nervous blossom?" toni's voice bounces off the walls, creating an echo that blars through the hall. "shhh!" the red head yanks to the side, causing the both of them to stop. 

"we won't get caught." of course if she does caught, she doesn't have much to lose. neither of them do really. an extra week of detention isn't all that bad, toni just doesn't prefer it. 

"it's just us cheryl." she glances over her shoulder, to have nothing meet her gaze. she exhales heavily and her shoulders gently fall. "see. nothing to worry about." before the vixen can respond to toni's statement-

"hey!" a husky voice calls out from behind them. the two girls jump, dude to being startled. they turn their heads to see their teacher at the end of the hall, not looking too pleased. he's tapping his heel against the tile while toni can see the vain popping from his forehead a mile away.

"and on that note..cmon, we gotta go!" the serpent grabs cheryl's hand, dragging said girl behind her as she takes off running. 

the two students dart down the halls of riverdale high, as an angry, bald man with glasses and, way too much axe body spray, chases after them. "get back here!" 

if they were in a scary movie, cheryl would have already been presumed dead. the serpent is accustomed to running in combat heels. she's had her fair share of running from cops, tweaked out gang members, dogs. hell, even her abusive uncle, that toni never speaks of, has ran after her before with, a broken beer bottle in his hand.

the brunette has been building up her stamina since she was a kid. cheryl on the other hand, doesn't have much experience with running in heels. it would be an understatement to say she could barely keep up, but, can you blame her? 

the northersider has a lot of thoughts racing through her head, none of them pertaining to this particular moment though. yes, adrenaline is pumping through her veins as she follows beside the serpent, but her brain is completely distracted. 

she can't ignore the warmth radiating from toni's body, causing goosebumps to flare upon her porcelain arms. thank god they are hidden beneath the sleeves of her sweater, or else she would've been brutally teased. 

the gang member and hbic queen running away from authority is actually kind of amusing to cheryl. it brings her back to that night her and toni needed to escape from the cops at chuck clayton's party.

the red head had to endure running down a hill in heels, and, to say she was infuriated would be the least. but, to her, saving the girl beside her was far more important than ruining 500 dollar shoes. 

weeks later and here they are, in the same predicament. out of breath, hand in hand, sprinting at full speed trying to escape from whoever is chasing after them. 

part of the red head knows it's wrong to be enjoying this, but god does her hand fit perfectly into toni's warm palm. it's almost as if their hands were perfectly sculpted for each other and only each other. 

once the two girls reach the end of the hall, they are greeted with the back doors of the school, leading out to the parking lot. toni doesn't look back, just continues running. but, once cheryl does, she doesn't see a black figure behind them anymore. 

somehow they managed to lose sight of mr.martin, maybe he gave up and returned back to the classroom? who knows. before cheryl can vocalize that he's gone, toni finally releases the red head's hand long enough to slam her shoulder into the double doors.

the door pries open exposing a dark, gloomy, sky that shadows above the town. toni's small frame holds up against the door, allowing cheryl to walk through. after they both make it outside, toni allows the door slam freely. 

once they reach out doors, the first thing cheryl notices is the atmosphere. her gaze raises to be met with clouds that are heavy with a gray tint. she wouldn't be surprised if they let go and started pouring rain on them. 

toni doesn't speak. she starts to walk over to her bike but is stopped by cheryl's hand latching onto her arm. "wh-what are you doing?" the taller girl's lungs tighten as she tries to catch her breath. 

"wha-what..do you- me-mean?" toni chest rises and falls rapidly. she two is out of breath, if not more. because she actually planned on escaping while, cheryl was just lost in her thoughts being dragged along.

"i parked over there." she throws her hand back, pointing to the red 1961 chevrolet impala parked to far left of the lot. "oh no princess." the red head's cheeks flush pink and her eyes lower to the ground.

once toni's lips perk into a grin, cheryl realizes she's been caught. she doesn't understand why the name caused her heart to do somersaults but it did. 

"we are taking my bike." toni explains walking away from the vixen, to the other side of the parking lot. she shuffles through her purse before fishing out her keys. "what!" 

"you must be crazy if you believe for one second, i'd ride that death trap machine." her nostrils flare as she tangles her arms together and truly believes the serpent standing before her is insane. 

"cmon cheryl. don't be difficult" "no. why-why can't we just take my car?" the red head whines. "well for one..." toni trails off, her eyes wander around the red head's frame, at the vehicle behind, then returns to cheryl. 

"your car is prehistoric." cheryl purses her red stained lips. "it's an antic." she hisses through gritted teeth. "yeah, yeah." the serpent waves her hand dismissively.

"i don't have the patience for it to break down while we are trying to reach our destination." "plus, it's better to go on my bike." toni finishes her sentence with a small nod and a light smile before she turns around. 

"toni i'm not riding that thing." cheryl protests. "that _thing_ has a name. cheryl." "his name is _baymax,_ and he's a _total_ chick magnet." the serpent strokes the seat of her bike softly, like she's stroking an infant's head. toni bites the bottom corner of her lip, and grins proudly. 

_baymax?_

cheryl pushes her arms deeper into her chest. her head tilts slightly and she narrows her eyes in curiosity. "baymax?" the red head's voice filled with disbelief. "are you talking about that _big_ , _fat_ pillow thing from that, movie big hero 6?" 

toni whips around so fast she almost catches whiplash. "how dare you?" a gasps slips through her parted lips and the palm of her hand clenches her heart. she does it so dramatically, that you would think the girl's grandmother just died. 

"i will not settle for any baymax slander!" the serpent exclaims walking closer to the cheerleader and poking her index finger into her sweater.

cheryl just responds by rolling her eyes. "and for your _information_ , miss _cheryl_ _blossom_ , baymax is not a pillow. he's an inflatable robot, the best _damn_ one there is." her tone is firm and leaves no room for the red head to disagree.

after toni finishes defending baymax's honor, because cheryl completely tarnished his name, she returns to her bike and, this time the vixen follows behind. "i never took a _hardcore_ _gang member_ to be such a _disney_ fan." she hisses. 

the serpent turns around to face said girl. "well don't judge a book by it's cover sweetheart." "i may be a _sucker_ for disney movies, but, i'm still totally _bad ass_." toni rocks back and forth on her boots. 

"mhm." cheryl hums softly. "this is besides the point. can we go now?" "do you even have a helmet?" cheryl questions. toni sucks her teeth. "n-no..i don't wear one and i didn't plan on..having someone else accompany me on my ride."

"toni." this time cheryl's voice is softer, almost like a whisper. "i-don-i-" her heart beat increases in speed and hands tremble out of fear. before she tries to stop them, soft palms take hold of them, and cheryl swears she can feel all her worry and nerves dissolve.

"i can tell your afraid cheryl.." "but i've been riding this bike since i was 14." toni chuckles and offers the red head a warm smile, which causes her breath to hitch. "i would never put you in harms way, i promise." "please just trust me on this. it's better to go on my motorcycle." 

the river vixen stares deeply into the serpent's orbs. she's met with nothing but wholesomeness and sincerity. for a moment she freezes, tuning into every thought that pops inside her head. 

she wants to scream no at the top of her lungs and run away from the pink haired girl, calling her crazy. but, toni's heartwarming gaze and expressions dipped in nothing but purity and honesty, causes all of cheryl's doubts and hesitation to vanish. 

the brunette's plump lips tugs into a grin. glistening white teeth shine brightly in the red head's preverbal and she can't even suppress the smile that appears against her own features.

god what does this south sider have upon this poor girl. somehow, cheryl always find herself weak in the knees at the sight of toni's beautiful smile.

the serpent never fails to steal the girl's breath away from her lungs so effortlessly, and without a care in the world. she's truly a work of art in the eyes of cheryl blossom. 

for christ's sake cheryl, your supposed to be cursing the ground that these _filthy_ southsiders walk upon. but, here you are, falling heavily for one that will never gain the intentions of catching you. 

she's rejected your feelings, completely ruining your self esteem. well, it's not like you had much strength in that department anway. but, toni is not allowed to make you feel as though your less than, because you aren't, she is.

she's south side scum. someone you aren't even suppose to associate with. but, god, is it hard not to get lost in those big, milky brown eyes, that you find soo _dreamy._ the ones that always manage to carry all of the love and purity that this cruel world has to offer. that laugh, it's music to your ears. no matter how many times you hear it, it could never grow old.

and that smile, the one that's plastered across her face, right now, as we speak. everytime it graces the pinkette's breath taking features, a sea of butterflies begin to fly ever so freely inside your tummy. how could cheryl possibily say no to a face like that? 

"okay." she says ending her silence. "i'll ride your _stupid_ machine, but be careful!" "i don't plan on dying anytime soon." toni's jaw drops and her eyes widen, glimmering. 

"so you'll come?!" she asks, squeezing the girl's hands in her own. "yes toni." "yeah?" the serpent asks again while nodding her head. "yeah." the serpent wraps her arms around cheryl's waist, lifting her from the ground and into her embrace.

cheryl laughs uncontrollably while toni cheers loudly, like she just won a million bucks. it is at this moment that, the red head decides if she does wind up dying because of toni's contraption, she wouldn't even regret it. because the sight of her being so happy, due to the queen bee herself, yeah, it's the greatest gift that cheryl could've ever wished for.

the serpent lowers the girl back to the ground. cheryl fixes herself, adjusting her sweater that became a little wrinkled from toni's hug. "let's go!" toni says grabbing cheryl's hand unconsciously, and pulling her along. 

as they turn to face the vehicle, toni's grip around cheryl's hand strengthens. "i'm going to help you up okay?" she holds the bike steady with one hand while the other stays in cheryl's. 

she helps the river vixen onto the seat of her bike. "where are we going?" cheryl asks while toni climbs on after she assures cheryl is comfortable. "well i don't know about you." toni says as she inserts her keys and starts the engine. "but i'm famished. how about pops?" "sounds great." cheryl replies, she wraps her arms around toni's waist. 

the serpent's cheeks instantly flush but she snaps out of her thoughts. "don't be afraid to hold on tight cheryl. i don't mind and i don't want you falling off." she laughs. 

the red head buries herself deeper into the girl seated in front, placing her chin in the crook of toni's shoulder. 

her warm breath brushes against the serpent's caramel skinned cheek. a wave of electricity shoots inside toni's body, striking into her heart. her breath gets lodged inside her throat, but, thankfully cheryl doesn't notice because toni quickly covers it with a cough. 

"are you comfortable cheryl?" she asks the girl behind her, who just smiles at the concern in the shorter girl's voice. it's absolutely adorable. "very. i'm ready when you are." "okay. pops here we come." toni revs the engine before speeding out of the school's parking lot and onto the roads of riverdale. 

\-- 

the chill breeze softly kisses cheryl's delicate skin as her hair blows messily due to the strong winds. the clouds are melancholy and gloomy and the atmosphere is so dark that, you would assume it's 10 pm at night, not 5:30 in the afternoon. 

thick fog consumes the air, but somehow toni manages to see through it all and continues driving. as they speed through the streets of the town, something special happens to cheryl. 

she doesn't know if it's the body heat emitting from the serpent's frame, or if it's the glimmering lights hanging from restaurants and buildings scattered throughout the city, but, a sense of tranquility washes over her and it's far too strong to ignore. 

she never took the opportunity to be mindful, while riding around the town in her convertible, but, today she does. she's mindful of the stars that glimmer in the sky. oh how she envy's the fact that they are so enchanting without even trying. and, oh, the lights. 

the red head has never been one to enjoy bright lights, but, oh in this moment she decides to bask in them and the way they sparkle, so effortlessly, capturing so much beauty and tranquility. 

cheryl feels nothing but peace and bliss. the voices in her head have quieted down long enough, for cheryl to remember the sound of her beating heart, and oh, is traveling faster than the speed of light.

it's the only sound streaming through her ears. the surroundings are peaceful and there is a silence, but, a comfortable silence, something that is rather foreign to cheryl. 

in this moment, she feels alive. more alive than she has ever felt in her 17 years of being here, on this planet. she feels as if she can conquer the world while so different sensations of electricity courses through her body, causing her heart to soar. 

_' **cause you're a sky**_

**_'cause you're a sky_ **

**_full of stars_ **

cheryl never wants this to end. it's the greatest thing she has ever experienced in her time on this earth. she never wants to come crashing down from this state of euphoria. she pledges to keep this moment close to heart, vowing to hold onto it's remembrance until the day she dies. 

**_i'm gonna give you my heart_ **

**_'cause you're a sky_ **

_**'cause you're a sky** _

**_full of stars_ **

the cheerleader pulls herself impossibly closer into toni's frame, strengthening the hold on toni's waist as she operates the motorcyle. the serpent glances back to make sure everything is okay.

when her orbs travel to the girl behind her, they are met with a beautiful brown pair that shimmers as bright as the stars hanging above them. 

**_'cause you light up the path_ **

cheryl's attention is so fixated on the scenery around them that, she doesn't notice, that toni has yet to remove her gaze. she instantly falls in love with the idea of cheryl being so content and free. hell the sight of it, snatches the air from toni's lungs and refuses to give it back.

she's never been acquainted with the sparkles lodged deep inside the girl's pupils, but, toni swears the minute she catches a glimpse, she can see all of the stars and galaxies hidden behind them. and god, is it already her most favorite thing in the world. 

**_i don't care_ **

**_go on and tear me apart_ **

**_i don't care if you do_ **

**_ooh.._ **

the shorter girl's eyes wander back to the road ahead of them, because nothing could ruin this moment faster than a tragic car crash. toni is already familiar with the beautiful sights and sensations that this city has to offer. 

it's why she prefers riding her motorcycle over anything else. it's so easy to forget mother nature's presence when you are riding around in a car, not paying much attention to your surroundings aside from the road. 

but, when you are going 200 mph on a bike, speeding past a million different things at once, it's hard to not be present of all the beauty around you. both girls are in a state of calmness. toni's body feels as if it's on fire, because she has the most beautiful girl, in this messed up town, resting upon her shoulder like a _literal_ angel. 

cheryl is so high off serotonin that, her entire being is at ease. she wouldn't be surprised if she started to drift away, floating off into the sky. because it is at this moment, where, it feels as if her eyes have finally opened up. for the first time, since her brother's passing, the world appears delicate and lighter.

she feels as light as a feather. even though the pain held captive inside of her, has had cheryl drowning in a sea of sorrow and despair. still, somehow, toni managed to pull her head up long enough for a breaair. 

they speed past parks decorated in lights that could brighten up the whole city, restaurants that releases the most mouth watering aromas that you could ever imagine. the trees brush together, due to the strong cool winds breezing the streets of riverdale. 

everything around them is moving so fast, yet they are traveling so slow. the two are completely still, sulking in every moment of this beauty and glory that they possibly can. it's as if they aren't even in motion with the things surrounding them. cheryl feels as though, her and toni are the only forms that still that exist in this moment, and god she wouldn't have it any other way. 

_'cause in a sky_

_'cause in a sky_

_full of stars_

_i think i saw you.._

_\--_

once they reach their destination, cheryl is still somewhat dazed from the journey it took to arrive. toni hops off the bike first, leaving the pop's bag filled with burgers, fries and two milkshakes leaning against the handle bars. 

she doesn't care if the food slips, cheryl is her first priority. she places her palm inside the red head's, helping her climb down. once cheryl jumps down, toni grips her hand tighter before grabbing the bag of food.

"you okay?" toni voice is filled with nothing but sincerity. the sound causes the vixen's heart beat to rapid. she nods her head while running manicured nails through fiery red hair. 

once she is sure that her hair is back to cascading upon her shoulders perfectly, her hand falls to her side. "well." toni exhales heavily. "were here." a nervous smile forms upon her lips and they begin to walk together. cheryl thinks to herself that the setting around them looks awfully familiar.

_toni said the location was a surprise, but why does it feel like i've been here before?_

before the red head can fully process her suspicions, her head finally shifts in the direction of where they are heading. 

when cheryl's eyes catch sight of the body of water before them, her heart pummels to the ground, shattering, and her breath gets caught in her throat. she squeezes toni's hand tighter out of fear.

_sweet water river_

her entire body runs cold and she wants to sprint away, leaving this wretched place and never looking back. but, she can't due to fear of her legs giving out. her body is frozen and cheryl's attention is fixated on the thoughts flooding her head. toni notices the sudden change in her posture, so, out of confusion and concern, she comes to a stop beside her.

the only memories that this atmosphere holds, could only ever be described as, traumatizing and detrimental. not only is this the location where cheryl's beloved brother washed up shore with a bullet wound gracing between his brows, oh, no. sweet water river is also the place where cheryl planned to take her life. 

after her brother's death, the blossom's mind was pushed into a dark state. she would go days without eating because her appetite had withered away.

she couldn't erase the images of her brother's decaying corpse, long enough for her to enjoy a meal, so, consequently she begin to lose weight. if anyone questioned, she would just tell them she was working on her summer body, but no one ever did. 

as weeks passed, cheryl only ever grew worse. she was slowly drowning in her own suffering and grief. she spent days upon days locked inside her bedroom, crying for what seemed like decades.

she would search high and low, for the strength she needed in order to leave her room, but, cheryl was never able to find enough energy to pull her out of bed.

she was becoming sick. her bones would become weak and fragile, after eating so little and crying for such long periods. so, of course, she would wind up passing out. but, when cheryl did manage to sleep, she still couldn't experience any peace. because her dreams would only ever be clouded with images of jason. 

eventually she tried to resist her tiredness. she would stay up for hours trying to keep her mind busy because, she was always afraid of what her dreams might hold that night. but, fighting your sleep can only work for so long. she's human. her body needed to rest so, regardless of her efforts to hang onto consciousness, it would always slowly drift away.

once cheryl slept more she started to realize she was fighting the wrong thing. the problem _wasn't_ sleeping. the problem _was,_ having to wake back up again. 

seeing jason in her dreams was a gift from god himself. she was allowed to hear her brother's angelic voice and express the pain she was feeling. jason was still there for his sister, this time, just not physically. having to wake up and live in a world where jason no longer _existed_ , yeah, that's what was torturing cheryl the most. 

the more that time passed, the more she begin to slip further and further into her depression. she was breaking on the inside, but on the out, she would always appear as the perfect, northsider born into a family of wealth and elegance. 

her porcelain skin remained flawless, despite the bags under her eyes. every morning, cheryl would spend hours, drowning her skin in concealer and makeup. her smile would still shine the brightest in any room she would step foot in.

little did her peers know, it was easy to smile through the pain. the real struggle was, having to find a way out of bed every morning. no one noticed cheryl's mental health decaying because, the demons weren't visible on the outside. they _could_ and _would_ only ever live in cheryl's head.

she was constantly fighting an internal battle with herself and the voices, the ones that would never allow her to breathe properly. they always made her feel awful in herself. the voices would steal away her confidence and self esteem. the confidence and self esteem that , cheryl had to learn to assemble again, because her parents decided to smash it.

the voices would never allow her to live, she was only ever able to survive. the weight of her depression always grew stronger and stronger, while cheryl would only ever grow weaker and weaker.

her friend's didn't spot the cracks hidden beneath the lines of her perfect facade. her beautiful sparkly brown orbs eventually lost their warmth while the sparkles simmered out.

no one could see how fatigue cheryl was. it was her battle and everyday, she was constantly losing until one day, she just couldn't keep fighting. cheryl was just too tired. 

she was only ever fighting against herself, yet, she could never win. cheryl made up her mind, deciding that a life without her twin, just wasn't worth living. that's how the red head ended up at sweet water river with an axe and one agenda on her mind. to take her last breath.

she sent one final text to her friends, apologizing for any pain or trauma she had ever inflicted upon them. cheryl was hurting so she didn't hesitate to hurt the ones around her. 

cheryl was striking the ice, frozen over sweet water river when, she heard voices calling out to her. as she turned her head, catching a glimpse of familiar faces, the ice beneath her finally gave out, like she did hours ahead. 

before she fell into the freezing water, all cheryl could remember were the ear piercing screams coming from her friends at the tragic sight. 

as her lungs constricted with water, she knew this was it, this was where she would take her final breath. she could finally be happy spending an eternity with her one true love, jason. 

cheryl stared death in the face and god, was she far from afraid. the bliss she felt was indescribable, it was impeccable. all her pain and grief dissolved in the blink of an eye. it was as though it had never even existed. her mind was ready to fade away and become nothing, but, on the other hand, cheryl's body. yeah, her body reacted differently. 

her legs kicked as her arms desperately reached out for something to grab onto. she screamed, but it only caused more water to consume her throat, causing her throat to feel as if it was on fire. after moments of struggling, and trying to hold on, her consciousness eventually faded away.

cheryl became overwhelmingly fatigued. her eyelids grew heavy so, she allowed them close softly. her body stopped resisting what was happening and eventually relaxed. she was on cloud nine and didn't want to come down. 

but, then there was a something in her throat, something begging to come out. cheryl was brought back to reality by the burn of her throat struggling to cough up the water she had consumed.

when she came to, she was greeted with 4 familiar faces. as she sat up on the ice, her eyes wandered over to her friends. veronica, betty, archie and josie stood there with one emotion wiped across their faces. panic.

josie's head was buried in the crook of veronica's neck, holding onto her friend's waist for dear life. the latina's mascara dripped down her cheeks as her chest rose and fell rapidly. 

cheryl's cousin betty, held a bloody bruised hand belonging to archie andrews, in her grasp. the four stared at the red head with so much sadness and heartbreak. her friends risked their lives, running across a froze over lake, just to save cheryl's life. they all cared, but, no one cared enough. 

after cheryl's attempt, they just assumed she would get better. none of them understood depression or the way it worked so, they never convinced cheryl to get any help. of course, her friends stayed by her side for a few weeks, but, eventually they all grew busy with their own lives and problems.

they stopped checking on the red head because they believed she was fine. on the outside everything was held together perfectly. but, little did they know cheryl was slowly losing herself all over again. this time, cheryl suppressed her pain and grief. deciding to close herself off from the world. 

of course her heart still longed for her twin to return, but she knew he never would. jason departed from this world, leaving his sister behind to fend for herself against a monster that happens to be named penelope. 

she left cheryl behind with years of trauma and wounds that time could never possibly heal. but, no matter how many times her mother would strike her or question the red head's existence in the world, penelope wasn't what she feared the most. 

no. what frightened her the most was, her state of mind and how it became one of the darkest places she has ever been. lately, cheryl has managed to stay afloat. but, it doesn't mean that she doesn't find herself struggling, time and time again. 

"cheryl?" her eyes lower to the serpent giving her the most lovingly gaze the red head has ever seen. "what's wrong?" cheryl feels tears sting at the brim of her orbs. she swallows the lump that grew in her throat and pushes through her painful, melancholy memories. 

_i can't tell toni about what happened._

_it would only push her further away and i just got her back._

_get a grip cheryl and_ _suck it up. be strong for once and don't ruin this moment for her._

"nothing." she breathes out. a frail smile appears upon her red stained lips. "are you sure?" toni squeezes her hand and stares deeply into her eyes, trying to detect any falter in her words. 

"yes. the ride here was so exhilarating, i assume i just grew..a little emotional." cheryl lies through her teeth and toni totally buys it. she pulls the taller girl's hand to her side as they walk over to the river.

cheryl's eyes travel over to the body of water that gently brushes against the rocks closest to shore. toni walks them over to a set of rocks before plopping down onto one. she opens the paper bag, digging through food while cheryl takes a seat on a rock beside her. 

the serpent passes cheryl her burger, fries and strawberry milkshake before retrieving her own food. "thank you." cheryl says softly, almost like a whisper. 

"why'd you pick this place?" cheryl finally asks after the two have begun eating. toni chews a bite from her burger and swallows before speaking. "it's beautiful here. the way the stars highlight the river causing the water to shimmer. the melody created by the trees from brushing together."

"i come here a lot actually. mostly when i have a lot on my mind. it's kinda like..safe space for me and." toni scratches the back of her head nervously. "i-i guess..i just wanted to share it with you." the red head's heart warms.

_she brought us here because it's her safe place? that's probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me._

"it's quiet here." cheryl whispers. all that can be heard is the sounds of the river washing over and nearby trees. "it's peaceful." toni says between her bites. "i'm not use to peace and quiet." 

_me too_ _cheryl thinks but doesn't say._

the two enjoy their fast food while they converse together. toni would crack a joke here and there, causing a laugh to escape from the red head. cheryl must admit, josie was correct. the pink haired girl does have a good sense of humor. while toni seeing cheryl's eyes narrow while she covers her mouth with her hand, giggling, causes her heart to melt.

\--

toni crumples her burger wrapper in the palm of her hand. she places her trash beside her bag that rest upon the ground. as the laughter between the two dies down, something around them changes. 

the serpent's smile disappears and her energy shifts. "hey cheryl." she says clearing her throat. the red head hums softly while also discarding her trash and resting it beside her bag.

she takes a sip from her strawberry drink before setting it two, down. toni leans forward a little and fidgets with her fingers, like she's contemplating on vocalizing her thoughts. 

cheryl notices the serpent's jolting leg and her eyebrows knit together. before she can say anything- "why were you uncomfortable when we got here?"

_oh shit._

_there it is._

"excuse me?" the red head says faster than she can stop herself. toni's tongue darts out and swipes the bottom of her lip nervously. she swallows thickly before continuing. "when we first arrived, you froze for a second and then..your body tensed. i-i felt it..against mine." 

"i was just a little dazed." "cheryl please don't lie to me." she says shaking her head disappointingly. the red head's lips part but nothing comes out.

the serpent reaches over, taking cheryl's hand her hand into her own, knowing it will cause cheryl's nerves to ease and they do. her shoulders relax and she takes a deep breath. 

"if something is bothering you..i really want to know. i can tell something seems a little off." how could a complete stranger sense the shift in cheryl's mood and emotions when her own friends can't? this girl must truly be an angel sent from heaven.

"the memories." "i don't understand." toni confesses. a awkward silence grows between the two but toni decides not to break it. she doesn't know whats going in the vixen's head, but, she can tell it's hard for the girl to put in words.

she remains calm and patient. toni doesn't push because, she knows cheryl will find the strength she needs to continue. she has faith in her. 

cheryl's eyes wander over to the scenery. when her orbs travel to the body of water, flashbacks of her and jason together flash inside her head like flickering lights. 

"the memories here aren't swell toni." the serpent just nods her head, giving the red head permission to continue. "the last time i was here...i was with my brother an-."

"i didn't know you had a brother." the pinkette chuckles playfully. cheryl's breath shudders and her lips turn into a weak smile. "i _use_ to have one toni." 

the brunette's eyebrows furrow and she tilts her head. it takes her a few seconds to process what cheryl admitted, but when she does, fear and guilt instantly washes over her. everything all comes to her at once.

_the drawing_

her head whips around viscously, eyes scanning the things around them. her heart rate increases as her palms grow sweaty. toni's stomach churns and she fears that all of the food she consumed, might find it's way back through her esophagus.

_the rocks._

_the large body of water._

_it's all identical to the setting of cheryl's artwork._

_then there was that male figure drawn lighter than the scenery._

toni couldn't quite put her finger on who it was, but she remembered seeing him glancing back at something or someone, with his arm stretched out. the world starts to spin and toni has trouble breathing. 

_the boy in the drawing_

_it..it was jason_

_he wasn't pointing to the trees or something in the distance..._

_he wa-was reaching out to che-_

"the drawing." it comes out louder and harsher than toni intended it to, but, she can't help it. "that's who was in the drawing." her eyes dart over to cheryl sitting beside her.

"yo-you were drawing...jason" she breathes out, scraping her palms against her shaky thighs. the blossom girl doesn't speak, just nods her head weakly in response.

toni's eyes fall to the ground because she's far too embarrassed to maintain the vixen's gaze. a wave of silence passes. both girls lost in their thoughts. eventually, toni takes it upon herself to speak first.

"w-why here. why draw this particular place?" she asks as her eyes glance around the location. what she asked might come off as rude but, the serpent needs to understand. 

cheryl knew she would ask sooner or later, she just wasn't fully prepared for it. "well." "this was the last place i-" she shuts her eyelids, trying to suppress the tears forming in her eyes. she pushes through long enough to explain. "this was the last place me and j.j visited together before his passing." 

"the boat ride was suppose to be apart of jason's get away plan." "he wanted to escape from our putrid, terrible parents. but, he knew they were far too strong and too powerful for him to just walk away from them freely." "our parents needed to believe that jason was gone." 

"he was trying to fake his own death." toni cuts in. cheryl nods her head, confirming toni's answer. "after the plan was made, jason coached me for weeks on how i would explain what happened."

"i would tell the sheriff and the town that, our boat tipped over during the journey. and that i was lucky enough to make it back to the shore, but jason wouldn't be." 

"after jason found a place to stay, and a consistent income, he would come back for me but..." it takes a moment for cheryl to remember to breath, but, she does. "j.j never made it back." the red head gently clasps her hands together, resting them upon her lap. 

"i-i don't know what to say." toni admits while staring into her lap. her eyes glazed over with sadness. "i'm so sorry for bringing you here cheryl." her apology is so sincere and authentic, that part of cheryl feels bad for mentioning it. she didn't want to crush the moment but, toni wasn't going to let it go.

"we should leave." the serpent finally raises her eyes long enough to meet cheryl's. she takes another deep breath before shooting up from her seat and scrambling up her trash.

" _toni_." the vixen whispers. the girl doesn't pay her any mind though, just continues grabbing her things so that they can leave. 

after retrieving all her belongings, toni pushes past, but, she is soon stopped by a palm latching onto her arm. she turns her head to see cheryl staring back at her with the cutest puppy dog eyes toni has ever seen. "please toni..can we stay." she pleads. her voice is delicate and toni can understand the neediness behind it.

"are you sure?" she questions, trying to detect any uncertainty that might be hidden inside cheryl's orbs. "yes." the serpent's shoulders hunch over and she walks back to her rock, taking a seat beside her.

her heart is throbbing against her chest and she can't stop shaking. but, toni does her best to remain calm for cheryl's sake. she licks her bottom lip nervously. the two stare at each other for a while, neither one being brave enough to break the silence. 

"if..i-if you want to share any memories you have with jason cheryl." "i would love to know more about him." the red head blushes at the softness in toni's voice. no one has ever given cheryl a space to be vulnerable. part of her hesitates because no one deserves to see what's hiding beneath her walls but, the other half of cheryl, screams. part of her yearns to give her pain a voice, because it deserves to be heard. 

"oh toni." cheryl sighs heavily. "he was everything. my savior, my knight in shinning armor." "j.j was my one true love." "unlike myself." the red head rolls her eyes in disgust. "jason would never hurt a soul. he was too pure for this cruel, disgusting world. it never deserved him or his everlasting love." 

"he would do any and everything for me. j.j knew about my desirable passion for art. he was actually my muse. i would ask him to sit in a wooden chair for hours while i painted him. he would never oblige, always saying yes before i could even finish asking." 

cheryl laughs softly at the fond memory. "me and him would spend every waking minute together. we would stay up late on the weekends, waiting until our parents would fall asleep. when they did, i would sneak into j.j's room and we'd watch cheesy romcoms as we snacked on buttery popcorn and m&m's."

"cheryl blossom munching on chocolate and potentially ruining those beautiful pearly whites?" toni nudges the vixen's arm. "i can't believe what my ears are hearing." she teases playfully. "well believe it." the red head laughs and toni's heart grows at the sound.

she can't ignore the glisten in her orbs while she expresses her memories with jason. her face brightens and the smile gracing her lips could be seen from miles away.

as she shares stories of her brother, the serpent takes in account that, cheryl isn't fully present. it's like her body's present in this moment. but, her mind has returned back to the memories she describes so fondly.

"the world was always too big and i always felt so small. but jason.." she says breathy. "somehow j.j would always make more room for me. enough to breathe." toni admires the way the red head speaks so highly of her twin. she talks about him like he's the greatest gift herself and this world could've ever received." 

"i'm sorry you lost your brother cheryl." she reaches into the red head's lap, interlacing their hands. "i can tell by the way you talk about jason that...he really meant a lot to you." "i know most of the time, twins wind up being closer." toni smiles brightly. "but, from what i've heard, you guys bond was indescribable." 

"it was toni." "j.j was my guardian angel. he was my light and.." she bites the corner of her bottom lip, fighting back the tears forming inside her eyes. "the day he took his last breath, was the day my world grew dark." after jason died, a part of cheryl forgot how to live. how could she possibly continue on without her one true love. 

_jason_

"what about your parents? you haven't mentioned anything about them but, were they at least there for you during your grieving process?" the serpent asks genuinely wanting to understand. 

a tear breaks free, strolling down the red head's cheek. she chuckles to herself. her parents. the ones that never paid any attention to her presence. the ones that were only ever there, just to diminish the girl's self image and shatter her self worth.

"jason was there favorite." "h-he was their golden boy while i-..i was just always..the other twin." toni's heart falls into her stomach. "ch-cheryl i'm sorry." "it's okay." she smiles before wiping away her tears.

cheryl has never resented her brother for being the family's golden boy. he was always perfect in the eyes of their parents. "jason was an over achiever with a heart made out of gold. i could never hate him for being their favorite." "and what were you cheryl?" she gives her a fragile smile before responding. "a constant reminder of my mistakes and my flaws." 

toni bites the inside of her cheek, not knowing what to say next. she feels bad for cheryl. she wasn't aware of the heartbreak and pain that the young girl has been suppressing. toni just assumed that coming from a rich family, and having a lot of friends, while still being able to maintain her queen bee status, meant that cheryl was constantly rewarded with happiness and joy. boy was she wrong.

penelope and clifford blossom ruined the ability for her to be happy and love who she was. she was taught to hate everything about herself. after years and years of being abused and tormented, cheryl eventually created barriers, locking away the parts of herself that her parents demeaned unworthy. 

cheryl blossom being the hbic of riverdale that she is, walks the halls everyday with her head held high and a elegant smile kissing her red stained lips. anyone that knows the blossom, would write her off as a cold hearted bitch, only ever caring about herself. but, truth is, hidden behind those stone cold walls, is just a scared, lonely little girl begging to be loved.

cheryl wishes her mother wouldv'e treated her better. would've given her the love she so desperately needed but, she didn't. her mother had plenty of love stored away for jason. surely she could have spared her daughter a little but no. penelope would never do that because, she was never capable of loving cheryl the way that she needed to be. 

"sometimes it feels like i'm drowning." cheryl vocalizes the thoughts running freely in her head. her finger tugs onto her skirt, desperately trying to find something else to focus on besides her thoughts. "i feel so alone. like there's no one who could ever understand me." "what about betty or ronnie?" she hears the quiver in toni's voice and the red head understands that she's completely responsible for it. 

"their busy with their own problems. they don't have time to help me with mine. hell i don't even know how to solve them myself." she says avoiding toni's gaze. the brunette raises from her seat. she walks over to the vixen and holds out her hand.

"give me your phone." cheryl scrunches her eyebrows together but follows the order. she pulls her phone from her bag then passes it to toni. she holds the device in her hand, typing away for a few seconds before handing the device back to the vixen. cheryl looks down at her screen to see a new added contact. 

_**topaz** 🐍🔥_

"there." the red head looks up at the serpent. "whenever you feel like your drowning..." "tell me. and i'll be there to save you." she gives cheryl a smile that makes her feel safe and cared for. "wh-why are you doing this. all i've ever been to you is cruel." 

"i know but..you were hurting cheryl. of course what you have did in the past was completely _wrong_ and _spiteful_." "but you were just inflicting your trauma upon others. i don't blame you for all of it."

"toni i-i'm sorry." "it's okay. you don't need to explain any of it right now." she starts to walk away but stops. "also." she says turning on her heels to face the girl. "your not alone cheryl. not ever again."

she leans down, gently brushing the padding of her thumb across the vixen's cheek, removing the residue tears cheryl didn't realize escaped. the warmth from toni's fingers causes her heart to swell. 

toni tells her to send a text to her phone, so that they can _both_ have each other's numbers. "look." she says excitedly showing cheryl her new contact name. 

**_bombshell🍒💣_ **

"it's perfect toni." after the two exchange numbers, toni spends the next few minutes trying to lighten the girl's spirits. she successfully manages to make cheryl laugh and smile despite everything that she just confessed.

"watch it." cheryl ignores her comment and throws another wrapper, this time striking the girl's forehead. "that's it!" the tiny gang member runs over to the blossom. she tickles her in her stomach, causing cheryl to fall into a fit of laughter.

"i said cut it out blossom!" the red head tries swatting pesky hands away but her efforts fail. cheryl laughs so hard her breath gets caught in her throat. toni hears her gasp and decides to lighten up. "are you gonna stop?" "yes!" "i can't hear you." she teases, tickling her harder. "i promise! i swear!" toni removes her hands from cheryl's frame. she stands above her. they both are panting as they try to regain their breaths.

the serpent's chest rises and falls rapidly. her eyes lift slowly, connect with cheryl's. once they are locked in, her body softens. something in toni ignites sparks and a new wave of confidence grows upon her.

she softly captures the porcelain chin between her index finger and thumb, holding it in place. anxiety flares in the pit of cheryl's stomach and her mind is immediately brought back to the night of chuck clayton's party.

_them running from the cops._

_toni being comfortable enough around cheryl to open up._

_the kiss._

_cheryl being pushed away.._

her heart aches at the thought of rejection. cheryl's accustomed to it, but god does it hurt more and more every time. she swallows the lump in her throat, growing more and more anxious by the minute while, toni wants nothing more than to just close the distance between them. 

cheryl's watches as toni captures her bottom lip between her teeth. the serpent runs her thumb against the vixen's bottom lip, slowly and seductively. the gesture causes her body to spark and cheryl feels her core ignite with warm. her lips slowly part, creating an entrance for toni as a pool of heat forms between the serpent's legs. as she leans in closer, heart pounds against her chest noisily. cheryl watches toni like a hawk, paying attention to her every move.

there's so much tension in the air, that for a moment they both forget how to breath. toni's grasp around the red head's delicate skin tightens. she parts her lips and tilts her head starting to close the gap when-

the blossom quickly turns her head in the opposite direction of toni's. the brunette's hand drops to her side, and she immediately pulls back, exposing her flushed cheeks. "w--we should go." cheryl says in between deep breaths. "it's getting late." 

the serpent's heart falls to the ground. she wants to protest. she _wants_ to stay here, and kiss cheryl for as long as she possibly can. but, toni doesn't express those feelings to her. she doesn't object cheryl's offer. just nods her head in defeat and they gather their things before walking over to her bike. 

\--

after their ' _almost kiss_ ' toni was afraid that things would be awkward between the two. but, cheryl seemed to be unfazed by what happened so, toni thought it would be best if she acted the same. once they arrived at the school, the pair stood in the middle of the school's lot for a while, conversating. 

"that was nice." cheryl confesses with a smirk. "yeah?" the brunette bites the corner of her lip and grins widely. she digs her hands deeper into the pockets of her leather jacket. 

"don't become cocky now." cheryl says and toni just laughs. "but yes. today was.. _eventual_." "i'm glad you talked me into skipping. it's unfortunate that this was our last day though."

"just because detention ended doesn't necessarily mean we can't hang out.." toni allows her words to linger in the air for a few seconds before finishing. "possibly outside of school?" her voice drops an octave, causing for shivers to run against cheryl's spine. 

"oh really?" she says with a cracked voice and arched brow. "where would our journey take place this time?" "does it matter? you'll be with me princess and i'll make sure you have a good time." cheryl's heart fluters due to the pet name. her tongue swipes the bottom of her lip slowly and her pupils darken with lust. "is that so?"

"mhm. yeah." toni hums. the red head pulls onto the lapels of her jacket, bringing the serpent closer. their bodies are so close that, cheryl wouldn't be surprised if toni could hear the sound of her heart beating so heavily against her chest.

they are giggling like school girls, in each other's faces when, toni starts to feel something vibrate in her pocket. she groans, pulling away from the cheerleader, who also frowns. she pulls her phone out of her pocket, accepting the call. 

"this better _fucking_ be important fangs." she growls into the phone. "toni! we--we. fp..he-he's pissed!" on the other end of the phone, fangs is panting, and stumbling over his words. he's out of breath and toni can hear the panic inside his voice.

"wait why?" cheryl rolls her eyes, clearly irritated that their moment was interrupted by one of toni's ragamuffin friends. it's not the vixen's place but, she can't help but feel a little jealous.

she deserves _all_ of toni's attention, not that _stupid_ boy with the _stupid name_. toni's _little_ serpent buddies, get to see her all the time while, the red head _only_ sees her inside of school.

no they aren't together and cheryl has _no_ right to be possessive over toni, but she is, and she refuses to ignore the anger and jealousy flaring inside the pit of her stomach. 

"fangs slow down." he continues yelling in the phone while she tries to make out what he's saying. "seriously toni?" her eyes raise and she lifts her finger to the blossom. _'just one second'_ she mouths. 

the vixen taps her heel against the concrete impatiently. she folds her arm together like an angry child and pokes out her bottom lip. toni has a strong urge to just say _fuck it,_ end the call and kiss the red head until her breath escapes from her lungs.

but, she desperately fights against it. the vixens puppy dog face is probably the most adorable thing she has ever seen. a box filled with cute cuddly puppies has nothing on cheryl blossom's pout. 

her attention is so fixated on the angry girl standing before her that, she doesn't hear the serpent calling out to her. "TONI!" she can tell that cheryl's growing more and more agitated by the second.

her nostrils flare and this is probably the _third_ time she's sighed angrily. "HELLOO?!" fangs yells but his friend is stuck in a trance and can't come out. she continues to stare at cheryl with her breath growing heavier and heavier. 

"TONI ARE YOU THERE?!" this time she snaps out of her daze, and finally responds. "w-what? shit, sorry i--" as she's finishing her sentence, the cheerleader decides she no longer wants to wait. she turns on her heels, and starts to stomp away. 

toni can't stand seeing cheryl so upset because of her. she just grew enough strength and courage to open up. toni doesn't want the girl to close herself off again, shutting the world and _toni_ out. so without thinking, she balances her phone upon her shoulder and against her ear. she leans forward, stroking porcelain skin and capturing cheryl's arm inside of her hand. 

once the red head's arm is pulled, she slips and falls into the serpent. toni's arms instantly tangle around her waist, pulling her closer. the vixen's heart swells and butterflies flutter inside of her stomach. toni presses their bodies together, swaying back and forth. " _bab-..."_

_oh shit._

once the word slips through her teeth, her jaw falls open in shock. 

_did she just call cheryl ba-_

quickly, toni catches her mistake, and clears her throat. " _cheryl_ ," she breathes out. cheryl's mind is elsewhere so she doesn't notice the slip. "what's wrong?" she doesn't respond, just buries herself deeper into toni's neck, sighing contently at the smell of mangos and lavender scented body wash. "you okay?" her voice is delicate and soft. she pulls the red head impossibly closer, tilting her head to examine her facial expressions.

cheryl has a lot of thoughts swimming inside of her head. but, overall, she knows she's safe. right here in toni's arms. right where she belongs. the serpent's palm traces circles against the vixens, who just whimpers in response, lower back. they remain like this for a few moments. toni would hum into the phone, not paying any mind to whatever fangs is babbling on about. 

if anyone ever asked what was said, she wouldn't be able to tell them because her attention is purely focused on the girl resting upon her shoulder. they continue to sway back and forth. every once in a while, toni would whisper in the vixen's ear, repeatedly making sure she's okay.

in this moment, toni is being gentle and soft like cotton balls, handling cheryl as if she's caring for and nurturing a child. if sweet pea or fangs ever saw her like this, toni would never be able to hear the end of it. they would brutally tease her for weeks. hell, probably months. "yeah fangs." she responds absentmindedly, pulling cheryl impossibly closer. 

she rest her head against the vixen's, wishing that they can stay like this forever but, _once again_ , their moment is soon cut short.

"toni. you need to get to the whyrm." the serpent sighs heavily. "we need you." the words play repeatedly in her mind as she raises her head. toni's heart beat increases and she realizes that's she's faced with a dilemma. 

_the serpents need her._ _but.._

her orbs wander down to the girl resting peacefully against her chest.

_cheryl ..._

her heart clenches inside her chest and she tugs her bottom lip between her teeth. for a second, toni hesistates but then fangs voice replays in her head. 

_"we need you."_

_her **family** needs her. _

_toni can't turn her back on her family, now can she?_

"okay fangs." "i'm on my way." cheryl's eyes pop open and her breath hitches.

_is she seriously blowing you off again?! this time to hang out with her stupid friends?_

_you know what cheryl, it's **exactly** what you deserve. god, how could you possibly be **stupid** enough to let your walls down for a complete stranger._

_toni has never cared about you. she isn't really interested in you or your problems. the only feelings that she feels for you are pity, and sorrow._

_you were too lonely and too busy looking for someone to notice you that you didn't notice the truth._

_you latched onto the first person who showed you any ounce of sympathy and you ran with it._

_you crave love and affection so desperately that, your willing to do any and everything for it._

_even if it means you will wind up getting hurt again. god, your so fucking **pathetic.** no wonder why no one, in this miserable, cruel world will ever be able to appreciate you. **you will never be capable of love cheryl.**_

_no one will ever adore and cherish the parts of yourself that you consider forbidden. the parts of yourself that, ache and long for love will never receive any because, you, **cheryl blossom** , just aren't worth the time nor effort._

cheryl digs her nails into toni's jacket, pushing herself away. "cheryl?" before the serpent can process what's happening, it's far too late. cheryl has already turned her back towards toni. her stilettos scrape against the asphalt as she storms off into the opposite direction. "cheryl wait!" toni pleads, but, the cheerleader only disappears into the shadows faster. "ugh." she groans, throwing her arms up in defeat. 

toni has half a mind to chase after the upset girl but, she can't right now. the serpents need her. it would be best for her to just let cheryl cool down. "toni..are you still coming?" a sigh falls from her lips. "yeah. yeah." she says pulling her phone closer to her ear. "i'm on my way fangs." toni entangles her fingers inside vibrant pink locks, cursing under her breath as she jogs over to her bike. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we will not tolerate any baymax slander! period! i actually don't care for big hero 6 hahaha. i just liked baymax and i feel like that would be toni's fav disney movie. my favorite is actually wreck it ralph. the 1st one ofc the 2nd was garbage #sorry not sorry. 
> 
> but no okay i feel like i need to elaborate on this because people might get confused idk. the reason i included the lyrics idk it was suppose to be like imagery? i imagined that song streaming while they were riding toni's bike. the song wasn't actually playing, i just wanted to include it kinda like an aesthetic..? if that makes any sense. when i hear that song i imagine myself riding in a car, late at night. the wind blowing in my face and the streets of the city lit up with bright lights
> 
> (i'm obsessed with city lights don't judge) but yea, when listening, i feel at peace, i don't have a care in the world and at that moment neither did cheryl or toni soo the lyrics were supposed to portray the sense of peace and euphoria toni and cheryl had felt. just listen to it i swear it would make more sense. 
> 
> 9 times outta 10 when i'm writing this i'm listening to music. like i wrote this while streaming i love you by the neighborhood plus i love coldplay so you know i gotta show them a lil love.  
> name of the song if you didn't already know - sky full of stars by coldplay. it's an amazing song, i suggest you listen to it and tell me what you think if you want. also when i mentioned cheryl talking about the stars, like i said when they were on riding around, it was still the afternoon, yes stars come out during the day. it was suppose to be an aesthetic don't criticize me 
> 
>   
> don't you just hate that fangs interrupted choni's cute little moment. oouu cheryl got so jealous :0  
> it was adorable tho, i love madelaine's pouty face, it's the cutest. OH YEAH, TONI ALMOST CALLED CHERYL WHAT?! poor baby, she's literally falling so hard and so fast. 
> 
> oh yeah, and when she held cheryl and everything. i guess that might seem a little too intimate, or affectionate for some people, since choni's relationship haven't necessarily got that far yet. the gesture isn't meant to have a lot of meaning behind it. well to toni it didn't, to cheryl it did. toni only did it because she was thinking irrationally because her feelings for cheryl are growing rapidly, and she just hated seeing her upset because of her. they aren't moving too fast. i feel like i'm doing a decent job of building up their development plus i love soft topaz. it's chapter 6 and choni finally have each other's numbers now! :)
> 
>   
> i'm glad cheryl finally opened up instead of keeping her emotions bottled inside. eventually everything would spill over and she might have ended up at sweet water again. also, i'm not going to just throw what cheryl confessed and admitted to toni on the back burner. i will cover more of cheryl's mental health and trauma as the chapters progress. as well as toni's. 
> 
> when i included that bit about toni saving cheryl, please don't take it literal. she meant being there for her when times get rough. toni isn't going to be a magical pill cheryl takes to heal her depression and loneliness. it's not her responsibility and it doesn't work like that. well not here it doesn't. 
> 
> ik that there is still some tension and things between them that needs to be discussed. like the feelings and insecurities that cheryl are keeing from toni. questions about why toni reacted to the kiss the way that she did. and etc. 
> 
> im going to cover all of that maybeeeee in the next chapter..orrr i might wait a little bit longer hmmm iddkkk :) i promise i won't drag it too long 
> 
> but, thank you for the comments and support. it really brightens my day bc i just started writing fanfics this year, in october and i was really nervous at first.
> 
> ik my grammar and spelling is complete shit but i'm trying to improve. and ik i always write a shit ton lmao so thanks for sticking with me guys and reading this fic. much love! 
> 
> anddd until we meet again <3


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